The Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

ese education system is based on its French equivalent

Education in France

The French educational system is highly centralized, organized, and ramified. It is divided into three different stages:* the primary education ;* secondary education ;...

. Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution

Constitution of Senegal

The fourth Constitution of Senegal was adopted in a 2001 referendum. The country has had three other constitutions before: in 1959, 1960 and in 1963.-External links:*...

 adopted in January 2001 guarantee access to education

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

 for all children. However, due to limited resources and low demand for secular education in areas where Islamic education is more prevalent, the law is not fully enforced. Many families send their children to private school

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

s.

Primary and secondary education

Education is compulsory and free up to the age of 16. In 2002, the gross primary enrolment rate was 80%, and the net primary enrolment rate was 69%. Gross and net enrolment rates are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 2000, 41.2% of children ages 5 to 14 years were attending school. Primary school attendance statistics are not available for Senegal. As of 2001, 80% of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.

The Ministry of Labor has indicated that the public school system is unable to cope with the number of children that must enroll each year. As a result, many school-age children seek education and training through more informal means. A large number apprentice themselves to a shop

Retail

Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

, where they receive no wage

Wage

A wage is a compensation, usually financial, received by workers in exchange for their labor.Compensation in terms of wages is given to workers and compensation in terms of salary is given to employees...

s. One government official estimated there are 100,000 children apprenticed in Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

. The Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) reports that as of 2001, 32.5% of children age 10–14 had begun their professional lives.

Higher education

Senegal's main Universities include Cheikh Anta Diop University

Cheikh Anta Diop University

Cheikh Anta Diop University , also known as the University of Dakar, is a university in Dakar, Senegal. It is named after the Senegalese historian and anthropologist Cheikh Anta Diop and has an enrollment of over 60,000.-History:...

 (formerly Dakar University) in the capital of Dakar

Dakar

Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...

 and Gaston Berger University

Gaston Berger University

Gaston Berger University , or L'Université Gaston Berger , located some outside Saint-Louis, was the second university established in Senegal...

 in Saint-Louis

Saint-Louis, Senegal

Saint-Louis, or Ndar as it is called in Wolof, is the capital of Senegal's Saint-Louis Region. Located in the northwest of Senegal, near the mouth of the Senegal River, and 320 km north of Senegal's capital city Dakar, it has a population officially estimated at 176,000 in 2005. Saint-Louis...

. University level instruction is only in French.

External links

• APIX - Living in Senegal - Education
• Senegal's Poor Hurt By Begging Ban Meant To Help - audio report by NPR
  NPR
  NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...