ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

ISSUE/EDITION Nr 320 - 15/03/1997

Madagascar

The teaching system deteriorates

by M. C. Ramasiarisolo, Madagascar, February 1997

THEME = EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

On the eve of the Third Millennium, Madagascar boasts of having important human resources, with young people accounting for 60% of the population. These, however, find themselves in a critical situation because of the education crisis which endangers their future. Children from rural areas are the first to suffer. The percentage decrease of children in full-time education is the same in both primary and secondary schools

According to figures published by the Ministry of National Education, the global percentage of schooling for children aged 6-14, was 62% in 1995, as against 73% in 1987. This is only an approximate evaluation of the literacy level. Children going to school for only one to three years, do not know how to read and write. The 1993 figures indicate that, for the whole country, it's children aged 10 upwards, who know how to read and write. When it comes to looking at these statistics, there's an enormous disparity in the regions: e.g. in Antananarivo (the capital), 66% of children can read and write, as against 23% in another region. What is clear, the more school attendance decreases, the more illiteracy rises. This fall is due to dropping-out, and to repeating years during the time of school attendance, especially in government-run educational establishments. Primary teaching or basic education lasts five years. But for every 1,000 children enroled in school, 350 do not reach the end of the school year, and only 200 manage to complete their primary schooling. Each year, then, only 40% of pupils go on to secondary education. Afterwards, out of every 1,000 students who start secondary education, only 50% manage to complete the four years of secondary education. Successes in ordinary level General Certificate of Education, amount to about 30%.

Closing schools

From 1990 to 1995, more than 1,000 government primary schools were closed throughout the country. During the same period, 500 private primary schools were opened. Within five years, then, basic education lost 500 establishments. This is nothing new. It was already happening in the beginning of the 1980s. In certain regions, village-run schools, open or close according to circumstances. Closing down is often due to lack of teaching staff, or to surrounding insecurity or to dilapidated buildings, or to lack of children wanting to go to school. Madagascar's education crisis also has a lot to do with the quality of teaching. The whole system is plagued by chronic instability and to frequent and sweeping changes in teaching and organisation programmes. Each Minister wants to impress his policy, without taking into account the continuity principle. Poor results in ways of registration, efficiency and quality, go together with an effective decrease in public spending on education. In 1996, about 16% of Madagascar's budget was allocated for national education, of which a large percentage was earmarked for teachers' salaries and administrative personnel. There is practically nothing for educational equipment and upkeep of buildings. In the meantime, the situation gets worse, with the teaching profession at a virtual standstill. From 1987 to 1995, the number of primary school teachers decreased from 33,570 to 27,939, mostly on account of restraints imposed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. On the other hand, at secondary level (when ordinary level exams are sat), the number of teachers increased from 6,818 to 8,421. In the Advanced Level examination classes, of the teachers who numbered 3,125 in 1987, there only remained 2,574 in 1994. In primary and secondary education taken as a whole, this indicates a total loss of 4,500 teachers: i.e. 10% of teachers in government- run schools. In July 1996, a campaign to recruit a thousand teachers was launched.

Difficulties in sending children to school

Seeing that Madagascar's government is more and more incompetent when it comes to ensuring education, the private sector, both "lay" and "denominational", tries to fill in the gaps. In 1993-1994, 21% of all primary pupils attended private schools, as against 13% in 1984-1985. This proportion goes up to 43% in privately-run colleges and secondary schools for the years 1993-1994, as against 33% in 1987-1988. Yet another problem must be mentioned. Recently, getting into school seems to go hand-in-hand with the parents' standard of living. 60% of all parents find great difficulty in obtaining the necessary school fees in order to get their children into school. And of these, only 78% of the poorest children as compared with 93% of the well-off, can attend primary school. From primary school upwards, children coming from poor families very often lose at least two years' schooling because of their parents' inability to cover school expenses. There's another reason why not all children can get to school: it may be less important but is still worth looking into. Some parents simply can't find a school in the vicinity to send their children. Mention must also be made about the existing corruption among those who are responsible for government schools. Frequently, children are only accepted in these places if their parents can pay. Other problems exist when it comes to keeping pupils' records. On their first day at school, pupils turn up for registration, with no birth certificate. This happens frequently in the rural areas. And yet, in spite of all this, parents consider that they have a moral obligation to have their children educated, whatever sacrifices they have to make. Sexual discrimination in education is not a major problem - nine heads of families out of ten say that girls should go to school for the same length of time as boys. However, the current economic crisis has its effects on parents. Let's look at some more statistics. 1) 21% of families with children aged 6-14, register them for school later than they would wish. 2) 33% of families take their children out of school earlier than they would wish. 3) 38% of families oblige their children to work at the same time as they attend school. 57% of all parents find themselves obliged to make one of these three choices. The Ministry of Education wants to get more children into school. The Ministry also wants to improve the quality of education and to fight against illiteracy. This it does in close cooperation with UNESCO, so as to achieve its ultimate aim of: "Education For All".

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PeaceLink 1997 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement