Mauritania     Population (approx.) 2 million   Literacy Statistics Overall: 37.7% Male: 49.6% Female: 26.3%   GNP Per Capita (US Dollars) $1,810     Source: The World Bank Development Indicators, 1996; CIA World Fact Book 1997

Country Report presented by Matt Bint Ewnen

The idea of formal schooling in Mauritania is a step removed from rural life, and many parents are reluctant to send children, especially girls, to far off schools, when they are needed to help around the home. But, because the population of Mauritania is Moslem and learning Arabic literature, grammar, and Quranic text is an important part of religious life, people in rural areas are comfortable with their children going to nearby traditional Quranic schools or mahadras. The mahadras, however, do not include any numeracy or science in the curriculum.

Recent literacy efforts in Mauritania have tried to build on the strengths of both mahadras and formal state schools. The Government of Mauritania, in cooperation with Unicef and some local NGOs, started a scheme in 1994 in three of the countryÕs 13 regions that aims to increase the access to education of children in poor areas by encouraging a crossover between the mahadras and the formal school system. The target areas have low per-capita income, low literacy levels (particularly among girls), a mix of African and Arab residents, and a concentration of mahadras.

The project has funded teachers from the formal schools to teach in the mahadras, and sheikhs from the mahadras to teach at the formal schools. The aims were to promote and modernize traditional education, organize mass campaigns for literacy, and establish permanent centers for literacy. The state Ministry for Literacy and Traditional Education produced educational materials for the basic literacy curriculum and also for a post-literacy program, which cover functional topics such as food hygiene, animal husbandry, agriculture, and healthcare. As a link to the functional literacy program, another project provides capital to the communities for income-generating projects managed by a local committee. These funds were subject to annual review and discontinued if the community could not contribute 30% of the amount each year. This method of including practical application of skills established an interest in, and commitment to, the scheme.

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INTERNATIONAL LITERACY INSTITUTE
Graduate School of Education/University of Pennsylvania
3910 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111 USA
Telephone 215-898-2100 | Fax 215-898-9804 | E-mail: sltp@literacy.upenn.edu

Revised: July 6, 1998