The government's vision in the National Development Plan (PND) 2021-2025 is to improve enrollment rates across all levels of education, particularly at the primary level. In this perspective, all key indicators of the system observed in 2020 will be improved by 2025. Thus, the overall score out of 100 for elementary school students in mathematics and French should increase from 50 to 60, the Net Enrollment Rate (NER) at the primary level should rise from 91.49% to 96.8%, and the Primary Completion Rate (PCR) should increase from 82.2% to 100%.
To achieve the desired changes, interventions will focus on: (i) the construction of 12,827 primary classrooms and (ii) the recruitment of 29,187 teachers.
As a result, children (girls and boys) aged 6 to 11 will have access to quality education, complete the primary cycle, have a favorable school environment, and thus acquire the expected fundamental skills.
Primary education, lasting 6 years, leads to the Certificate of Elementary Studies (CEPE).
From the 2016-2017 to 2023-2024 school years, the number of schools increased from 16,324 to 19,898, representing a growth of 17%, and the number of classrooms increased by 18.7%, rising from 90,970 to 107,986. The public sector remains dominant, accounting for 78.62% of schools and 78.10% of classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year.
Source: MENA/DESPS
Out of 4,385,213 registered schoolchildren during the 2023-2024 school year, 79.20% attend public schools, 19.80% attend private schools, and 1.00% attend community schools.
In terms of distribution by location, for the 2023-2024 school year, 60.33% of primary schools are located in rural areas and accommodate more than half (50.19%) of all schoolchildren, with a ratio of 37 students per classroom compared to 47 in urban areas, against a national standard of 45 students per classroom.
In terms of coverage, the gross enrollment rate in primary education decreased from 99.9% during the 2016-2017 school year to 96.42% during the 2023-2024 school year. As for the primary completion rate, it improved, rising from 75.0% to 79.08% respectively during the 2016-2017 and 2023-2024 school years.
Evolution of the Gross Admission Rate (GAR), Gross Enrollment Rate (GER), and Primary Completion Rate (PCR) for the school years 2016-2017 to 2023-2024.
Source: MENA/DESPS