Mauritania has improved access to education, but 30% of school-age children are currently out of school. Children facing the greatest obstacles to accessing education are those living in rural areas, those from poor families, disabled children and girls.

For children in school, learning is lagging: in 2022, 35% of 4^th graders were able to read a simple sentence in Arabic, and only 11% understood what they read; in math, only 7% manage to do single-digit multiplication.

In 2020, the Ministry of Primary Education presented its roadmap for reforming the education system. The main objective was to deliver on the President's promise to make education a priority sector, create an inclusive education system and restore social cohesion.

With GPE funding of US$12 million and World Bank co-financing of $40 million for the period 2020–25, the government is improving the quality of teaching and learning in primary schools, as well as educational services in the six regions with the highest number of vulnerable children: Hodh Chargui, Hodh Garbi, Assaba, Guidimagha, Nouakchott Sud and Gorgol.

Improving education provision

To date, 390 new classrooms have been built in the six target regions to improve access to education. All are equipped with desks and benches as well as access ramps for disabled children.

To improve educational services, the education ministry is focusing on more efficient resource allocation and better management at school level.

Each committee has created its own improvement plan, which serves as the basis for awarding a grant to the school.

In addition, management committees and decentralized educational entities received 575 laptops and 575 printers to facilitate their work.

The progressive decentralization of decision making to the regional and local levels, and the management of schools by communities, are expected to radically change the management of the education sector, improving efficiency, accountability and inclusiveness.

Transforming education by improving teaching

In 2018, an assessment of education service delivery indicators in Mauritania revealed that no teacher had the required level of competence to teach French and Arabic, and only 3.6% of public-school teachers had the minimum skills to teach math.

To meet the urgent need for better teaching, Mauritania is improving the quality of initial teacher training.

Reforms relating to teacher training colleges have been implemented, including training guides for all teacher trainers, the standardization of curricula in teacher training colleges, and the introduction of electronic tablets and digitized content to equip teachers with digital skills and engage them in innovative pedagogical practices.

In 2022, an evaluation of the new training program showed that an initial cohort of 500 students preparing for a teaching diploma achieved better results in Arabic, French and math than previous cohorts.

Mauritania is also improving in-service teacher training by working towards an effective and sustainable hybrid training model.

In addition to face-to-face training, the ministry is digitizing training modules and setting up technological platforms to widen access to training.

An evaluation carried out in 2022 revealed that 5.9% of primary school teachers had acquired the minimum knowledge to teach. The program aims to increase this to 12% by 2025.

Scripted lessons for Arabic, French and math have been developed to help teachers deliver the curriculum more effectively. This approach was piloted in 300 public primary schools and, based on the positive results, is being extended to all other schools in the country.

In line with the scripted lessons for teachers, reading and writing books for students have been developed, and over 1.6 million have been distributed nationwide.

Continuing to work in partnership

Building on this progress, Mauritania continues to work with its partners for large-scale change that will give all children access to quality education.

In 2023, the country developed the National Program for the Development of the Education Sector (PNDSE III) for the period 2023–30 and aims to promote equitable and inclusive access to education; strengthen the quality and relevance of educational provision; and improve the management and governance of the system.

Mauritania's Partnership Compact, aligned with the Education Sector Plan 2023–30, explains how the government plans to improve teacher skills and the teaching and learning environment, with support from GPE, the World Bank and other partners.