The country
In 2025, Senegal will have a population of around 19.3 million, including a significant proportion of young people: over 42% of the population is under 15. These young people are particularly hard hit by unemployment and underemployment, accounting for 60% of jobseekers. Young women are more exposed to unemployment than young men, and the unemployment rate is higher in urban areas (18%) than in rural areas (6%). This situation underlines the importance of strengthening educational policies and vocational training programs to improve the employability of young people in Senegal.
Source: World Bank
Education challenges
Senegal has made progress in terms of school enrolment, particularly among girls, with the school attendance rate rising from 65% in 2010 to almost 70% in 2020 (UNESCO). However, a number of challenges remain. The first challenge concerns access to education: in 2016, over 1.5 million school-age children were not in school, with a large proportion enrolled in Koranic schools not recognized by the formal education system (UNICEF). The second challenge is the inclusion of children with disabilities: nearly 66% of children with special needs do not benefit from adapted education (UNICEF). The third challenge is the quality of education: school infrastructures are inadequate and the lack of qualified teachers limits student learning. To remedy this, the government has introduced teaching in national languages to improve school performance (World Bank). However, further efforts are needed to ensure inclusive, quality education for all.
For several years now, ASED has been developing programs to facilitate access to education for children and young people who live far from schools (organization of school transport, soft mobility – bicycles) or who are disabled.
ASED is currently supporting the design of a program in the Thiès region, aimed at reducing absenteeism and drop-out among girls at secondary school level.