Africa 24 Media Photography

African governments continue to invest heavily in education but access to it is still a major quandary. In Mali, the government has recognized the importance of education and is consequently focusing on improving the educational scenario in the country in order to boost literacy rates. The present literacy rate in the Western African nation is estimated to be below 50%, but more than 2,500 primary schools have been set up in the country to impart basic education at the elementary level.

However, Mali’s actual primary school enrollment rate is still low, in large part because families are unable to cover the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and other fees required to attend even a public school. The predicaments are even larger for the physically challenged who require specialized education. With moribund infrastructure and sometimes a complete lack of it, providing education for the physically challenged in Mali is still a tall order. This has mostly dampened and sometimes killed the hopes of many who would like to access and excel in the different fields that the physically endowed ones do. In tattered clothes, dilapidated and grubby classrooms, with no shoes or formal uniforms, boys and girls alike continue to flock classrooms and other makeshift learning places to get that education. In Cameroon, the challenges are more or less the same, as even though primary education has been free since the year 2000, families are still required to cater for uniforms and books. Tuition and fees at the secondary school level remain unaffordable for many families, meaning that most students from poor families are unable to continue with their studies. Limited access to formal and vocational education for children with disabilities is commonplace, so is high dropout rate, inadequate number of teachers, socio-cultural biases and gender disparities.

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