Mauritania

by Graham Clarke

Mauritania in a nutshell

Source : http://www.cia.gov

Mauritania (Arabic: موريتانيا‎ Mūrītāniyā), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a country in northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, by Senegal on the southwest, by Mali on the east and southeast, by Algeria on the northeast, and by the Morocco-controlled Western Sahara on the northwest.

It is named after the ancient Berber kingdom of Mauretania.

Its population is around 3.2 million (CIA July 2011 est.).

The capital and largest city is Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

We do not regard Mauritania as part of Northern Africa.

School-level education

Pre-primary level All children attend Koranic aged four to six, gaining basic reading and writing skills in Arabic.

Primary level Primary education covers ages six to twelve classes being delivered in Arabic and French in science and maths from the beginning of the second year.

Secondary level Secondary education is divided into two cycles. The first, 'college', lasts four years. Science subjects are taught in French while literary subjects are delivered in Arabic. The first cycle culminates in the Brevet d'Etudes du Premier Cycle (BEPC) certificate. The second cycle, lycee, lasts three years and is open to those with the BEPC certificate, and leads to the Baccalaureat de l'Enseignement du Second Degre (BAC) with a focus in either mathematics, arts and literature, chemical and physical sciences, natural sciences, or Koran and Arabic.

Vocational and Technical Technical college is open to students with a BAC, a short cycle of technical studies leading to the "Brevet d'Enseignement Professionel" (BEP) after two years. After the BEP, an additional two years at the "Lycée Technique" is required to obtain the "Brevet de Technicien". The student can then join the "Centre Supérieur d'Enseignement Technique" (CSET) after an entrance examination to get the "Brevet de Technicien Supérieur" (BTS) the same level as a university diploma.

Further and Higher education

Universities in Mauritania

1. The University of Nouakchott

ICT in education initiatives

Derived from the 2007 Infodev ICT in Education report by Osei Tutu Agyeman.

The University of Nouakchott has developed a plan to connect all secondary and tertiary institutions to the internet. The science and technology facility (FST) delivers ICT training to the public in connection with the World Bank, the [[Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie]] (AUF), UNESCO, and the Institute for Research and Development.

Virtual initiatives in schools

World Links Programme

The World Links Programme, set up by the World Bank, connects schools worldwide by providing free internet access to participating schools. As of 2007, 12 schools were involved in Mauritania.

Virtual initiatives in post-secondary education

Campus Numérique Francophone

The University of Nouakchott has an AUF digital campus providing access to scientific and technical information, Internet communication, and e-learning.

RESAFAD

The RESAFAD distance learning initiative has trained inspectors and officials within the Ministry of Education in the past.

References

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