Yangasso, Mali

Places are limited in Yangasso’s schools

There are few public schools in Yangasso District. A critical shortage of teachers and a lack of resources means these schools only accept enrolments in alternate years. Consequently, places are limited.

As part of the national government's decentralisation policy, local governments must use their own resources to run community schools. However, even in these schools enrolment is limited to once every two years because of capacity.

Many parents cannot afford the average monthly fee of CFA500 (approximately $NZ1.50) per child to cover teachers' salaries and school upkeep, and so they do not enrol their children. Parents, especially fathers, prefer their sons to get schooling rather than their daughters, who generally marry young and move away.

Some older children attend adults’ functional literacy classes, where they learn basic reading and writing skills in the local language. If funding permits, eventually World Vision would like to help the Yangasso community to establish literacy classes specifically for children who miss enrolment, to mainstream them back into formal schooling.

Until then, emphasis is being placed on raising the awareness of the importance of education, especially for girls and women, training literacy tutors, supporting adult literacy centres and increasing family incomes through agricultural and skills training so that parents can afford schooling for their children.

Adama, 15, is illiterate. Every year since she turned nine, Yangasso ADP staff pleaded with Adama’s father to enrol her in public school or at least in a local literacy class. However, her father always refused, right up to his death in late 2003.

Adama has a younger sister, Bilely. The girls’ mother is adamant that when Bilely reaches nine, the age of enrolment, she will start school. “No one will prevent me from sending a child to school anymore!” she says.