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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NIAMEY 000158 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT: FOR AF/W, BACHMAN; AF/RSA FOR HARPOLE; AF/PDPA FOR BEDICHEK 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM SOCI KCOR KPAO KMCA NG
SUBJECT: IN LAST PLACE AND FALLING: THE PROBLEM OF EDUCATION IN 
NIGER 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. Niger's education system ranks among the worst in the world.  It 
suffers from a crumbling infrastructure, a lack of resources and a 
teacher corps that is under-trained and demoralized.  Niger's woes 
are compounded by a population growth rate of 3.4%, one of the 
highest in the world.  Corruption and mismanagement are serious 
problems, although the government has begun to address them.  These 
factors auger a bleak future for Nigerien youth in a country where 
two-thirds of the population is younger than 25 years of age, the 
literacy rates is 29% and gross primary enrollments are 52% for boys 
and 37% for girls. The poor state of Niger's education system was 
the key factor securing its place at the bottom of the UNDP Human 
Development Index. 
 
¶2. This cable is the first in a series and will examine the current 
state of Niger's education system and the challenges the GON faces 
in formulating and implementing meaningful reform. Other cables will 
identify key public, private and international educational 
institutions in Niger and address problems of gender disparity in 
enrollments, the emerging role of private and Islamic schools in 
Nigerien society, and the financial, linguistic, curricular, and 
human resource challenges, which continue to plague the education 
system. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
Education Policy In Niger: An Overview 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. The Nigerien system of education is a national system run by 
three separate ministries. Preschool, primary and literacy 
development are the responsibility of the Ministry of Basic 
Education and Literacy (MEBA). Secondary education and higher 
education fall under the Ministry of Secondary & Higher Education, 
Research and Technology (MESSRT). The Ministry of Professional 
Training and Employment of Youth (FPTEJ) oversees vocational 
training. 
 
¶4. The National Board of Education meets once a year in Niamey.  In 
addition, each of Niger's eight regions has its own board, which 
ostensibly develops and coordinates regional education policy.  In 
reality, there is little meaningful planning or coordination at the 
national level and the regional boards have no practical effect on 
education policy, resource allocation or decision-making. 
 
¶5. In 1998, the GON passed La Loi D'Orientation du Systeme Educatif 
du Niger (LOSEN) which identified the most pressing needs of 
Nigerien students and established a set of objectives to improve the 
education system. Eight years later, LOSEN has yet to be fully 
implemented. 
 
----------------------------- 
The Nigerien Education System 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. The educational system in Niger is organized as follows: 
 
--Preschool (Jardin d'Enfants) begins at age four or five and lasts 
for two academic years.  Enrollment in preschool is not universal 
and the majority of preschools are private, expensive and located in 
urban centers. The cost of public preschool runs FCFA 6,000 to 
10,000 ($12-20) per year with private schools costing approximately 
FCFA 50,000 ($100) a year.  This amount is significant when compared 
with Niger's per capita GNI of $240. 
 
--Primary school begins at age seven and lasts six years.  At the 
conclusion of their sixth year, students take the national secondary 
school entrance exam.   Only about 40% pass the exam.  Those that 
fail can repeat the academic year, but only once. If they fail a 
second time, they must drop out or enroll in private school.  Public 
schooling at the primary level is free.  Private schools average 
about FCFA 50,000 ($100) per year. 
 
--Middle school consists of four academic years with enrollment 
beginning at about age 12-15, depending on the student's performance 
in primary school. At the conclusion of their fourth year, students 
take a national exam called the Brevet d' Etudes du Premier 
Cycle(BEPC).  Student success rates on the exam have averaged 40%, 
however, last year's pass rate was only 20%. The GON touted this 
recent drop as a success since it resulted in large part from a 
campaign to combat corruption in national testing, where students' 
 
NIAMEY 00000158  002 OF 003 
 
 
families bribe teachers, or teachers extort their students to gain a 
passing grade. 
 
Students who fail may repeat the year if they have not repeated a 
class in the same cycle previously. If they are ineligible to 
repeat, they are expelled. Parents who can afford to do so send 
their children to private schools to finish their secondary 
education.  The cost of public secondary education is free with 
tuition at private institutions averaging FCFA 100,000 ($200) per 
year. 
 
--High School (Lycee) consists of three academic years of study. 
First year studies follow a common curriculum, but in the second and 
third years, students are tracked based on their aptitude in 
mathematics, humanities, languages and science.  High schools are 
generally only located in cities and larger towns, making it 
difficult for students from rural areas or smaller towns to attend. 
The GON stopped providing boarding facilities at the lycees in 1983 
due to financial constraints and concerns by the Kountche regime 
that boarding schools were becoming hotbeds for anti-government 
protest movements. 
 
At the conclusion of the third year students take a national exam 
called the Bacalaureat de l'Enseignement Secondaire (more commonly 
known as the "Bac"). Those who pass are eligible to attend 
university. Those who fail can repeat the year, if they have not 
already repeated any of the previous classes at this level. If they 
are ineligible to repeat, they are expelled.  Success rates have 
averaged 30% in the past, however last year only 11% of students 
passed the exam. Again, this was spun by the GON as the successful 
implementation of their efforts to eliminate fraud and corruption in 
national testing. 
 
Regardless of spin, success rates have been very low and remain so. 
A major factor in poor student performance is the inadequate 
instruction at the primary school level, where many students 
administratively pass to the next level while unable to read or 
write. They are then able to bribe a passing grade on the BEPC and 
continue on to the lycee. 
 
--Professional and Vocation schools are available for students who 
pass the BEPC, but do not wish to go on to lycee.  These students 
take a competitive exam to enter one of the professional schools 
such as the National School of Public Health (ENSP), Rural 
Development Institute (IPDR), National School of Public 
Administration (ENAM), the Aor School of Mining (EMAIR), or one of 
several public vocational schools. 
 
Tuition at public institutions is free for those who pass the 
entrance exams.  Other students who wish to attend may do so at a 
cost of FCFA 200,000 ($400) per year. Private vocational schools 
cost upwards of FCFA 250,000 ($500) per year. 
 
-------------- 
The Curriculum 
-------------- 
 
¶7. The primary and secondary school curriculum is developed at the 
national level by the Institute National de Documentation de 
Recherche et d'Animation Pedagogique (INDRAP).  INDRAP technically 
falls under MEBA, though it is also responsible for secondary school 
curriculum development and implementation.  INDRAP inspectors and 
teacher trainers are tasked with ensuring that the national 
curriculum is instituted and followed.  Both public and private 
schools are required to follow the national curriculum. 
 
¶8. INDRAP has worked to modernize the national curriculum, however a 
persistent problem remains.  French continues to be the medium of 
instruction from preschool level onward, though many Nigeriens are 
not fluent French speakers. Some suggest beginning preschool and 
primary education in local languages and gradually introducing 
French, however, this is made difficult by the number of ethnic and 
linguistic groups which comprise modern-day Niger. 
 
¶9. The exception to the French-language standard is Niger's 
Franco-Arabic schools, which use both languages for instruction. 
These schools exist at the primary, middle and high-school level. 
Niger has very few Arabic speakers and enrollments at these 
institutions are low, with about 8% of students attending 
Franco-Arabic schools. 
 
--------------- 
Resource Issues 
 
NIAMEY 00000158  003 OF 003 
 
 
--------------- 
 
¶10. The root causes of the crisis facing Niger's education system 
are insufficient and/or crumbling infrastructure, lack of human 
resources and poor financial management: 
 
--Approximately two-thirds of Niger's population is under age 25 and 
the population continues to grow at a rate of 3.4% per year.  Niger 
does not currently have enough classroom space for its existing 
student population and the problem will only intensify as the 
demographics skew younger. 
 
--Public schools in urban areas are poorly maintained and often lack 
electricity, blackboards, furniture and basic school supplies.  In 
the rainy season classes at some schools must be cancelled during 
storms due to leaky roofs.  Educational infrastructure in rural 
areas is often deficient or non-existent. 
 
--In 2004-2005 secondary schools numbered 410 with 3,661 classrooms 
(which included 724 straw huts). During that period, the number of 
school-age children set to start secondary studies (13 to 15 years 
old) was 1,019,014, although only 108,270 or 10.6% were actually 
enrolled.  Until the 1980s, school supplies were provided to 
students free of charge. Currently that is not the case, and parents 
are forced to contribute more and more to finance their children's 
education, even if they attend public schools. 
 
--The growing number of school-age children requires the hiring and 
training of more teachers. Current GON practice consists of filling 
this gap with often unqualified teachers called "contractuels" who 
do not have the same wages or employment guarantees as the civil 
servant teaching corps.  The contractuels are often recent 
university graduates with no academic or practical teacher training. 
This two-tiered system began in 1997 and the contractuels now 
represent more than 60% of current teachers. 
 
-- In FY2002, external support represented 45% of the government 
budget, including 80% of its capital budget.  The GON remains 
dependent on funds from international donors to provide basic 
services, including education.  However two recent cases have come 
to light, where GON officials are accused of embezzling or 
misappropriating donor funds earmarked for education programs.  As a 
result, the Minister of Basic Education was fired and he, his 
predecessor and several working level officials in the ministry face 
prosecution. However, many businessmen involved in sweetheart 
contracts with MEBA were only required to pay restitution and 
escaped more serious charges. As a result of these incidents, donors 
are requesting better accounting and financial management as a 
condition of future funding. 
 
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Conclusion 
---------- 
 
¶11. The challenges facing Niger's education sector are daunting. 
While the GON seeks to increase access to education for its 
school-age population, particularly girls, it does not have the 
resources, infrastructure, or teachers to adequately educate its 
existing students.  Success in increasing enrollments without 
additional investment in infrastructure and human resources will 
only further tax a system near collapse.  In addition, increased 
capacity without corresponding improvement in teacher training and 
the quality of education will only succeed in moving more students 
though a dysfunctional system, and will not impart the knowledge and 
skills necessary for Nigerien students to succeed after graduation. 
 
ALLEN