Le Niger

Tour d'horizon

Capital: Niamey (800 000 habitants) Area: 1 267 000 km²
Population: 15,4 million Ethnic groups: Haoussa, Zarma, Peul, Touareg, Kanouri, Gourmantché, Arabe and Toubou

Official language: French Major Religion(s): Islam (98,6%) Monetary unit: 656 FCFA = 1 EUR

Population living with less than $2 per day : 86% Life expectancy : 57,5 years Population under age 15 : 49,6 %

Taux de scolarisation

Landlocked and mainly desert, Nigerhas some of the lowest school enrolment rates in West Africa, particularly for girls.

46% of boys and 32% of girls are in primary school.
Of those, only 25% complete the full course of primary education.
At the secondary level, only 9% percent of boys and 6% of girls are enrolled.

The government of Niger has recognized the need to increase enrolment and is aiming for a 70% enrolment rate by 2012. Unfortunately, increase in enrolment had led to decrease in quality. The current learning outcomes in Nigerien schools are highly unsatisfactory : too many children leave school unable to read or write. Given such performance levels, many parents do not see the point of sending their children to school.