APA-Bamako (Mali) The centre of Mali is seriously riven by insecurity.
In January 2024, the Education Cluster – a group of NGOs working on the issue – revealed an alarming situation in Mali: 1,657 schools had to close due to insecurity or the humanitarian crisis. This has a direct impact on 497,100 pupils and 9942 teachers, jeopardising access to education for thousands of Malian children.
The school closure rate has reached 18 percent, a worrying figure that highlights the major challenges facing Mali’s education system. The centre of the country, which over the years has become the epicentre of insecurity in Mali, is much more affected by this situation.
The Douentza region has the highest number of schools closed, with a total of 30, closely followed by Bandiagara with 271, Timbuktu with 193, Ségou with 174, Mopti with 144, Menaka with 138, Gao with 132, and Tenenkou with 102, revealing a widespread nationwide crisis.
This worrying situation has prompted strong reactions from education stakeholders, who are helplessly watching.
It exposes children to all sorts of dangers, including recruitment into jihadist groups.
In addition to the insecurity preventing access to these schools, some are still being used as headquarters by armed groups, while others are being used as temporary shelters by internally displaced persons fleeing the violence.
Faced with this major educational crisis, some people are constantly calling on the Malian authorities to do more to find lasting solutions. Guaranteeing access to education for all children in Mali must be an absolute priority, note the members of the education cluster. In their view, concrete measures and a strong commitment are needed to overcome the current obstacles and rebuild a solid and inclusive education system.
More and more voices are being raised to demand that the securing of the country undertaken by the authorities must go hand in hand with the return of the administration and the redeployment of basic social services, at the risk of jeopardising all the gains made.
MD/ac/fss/as/APA