Mali has been dealing with insecurity for more than a decade, forcing thousands of people to flee their places of origin to seek protection in certain large cities. These displacements particularly affect children and their access to education. Why are many of these displaced children still not going to school? What future do they have in this situation? To better understand.
According to UNICEF, more than two million children aged 5 to 17 in Mali are still out of school and more than half of young people aged 15 to 24 are illiterate. However, Mali has ratified and signed several treaties and conventions, in particular that of the United Nations relating to the Rights of the Child. Since 2018, Altiné BAH left school in the ninth grade class. His future seems to darken in his eyes. She hopes to return to her native land and if possible go back to school.
Out of more than 800 children registered at the Faladié IDP site, only 100 of them, aged 6 to 14, attend school there and 62 others have gone to public schools. Hama Diallo is responsible for the site.
In addition to this difficult daily life for the schooling of children on this site for internally displaced people, other human rights are also violated. This site is home to around 2,000 men and women who live in difficult conditions. Me Moctar Mariko, President of the Malian Association for Human Rights (AMDH).
Yet education is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of our country. Article 18 stipulates, and I quote: “Every citizen has the right to education. Public education is compulsory, free and secular. Private education is recognized and is exercised under the conditions recognized by law”. On children’s access to education on the site for internally displaced persons in Faladié, we tried several times to reach Mr. Abdallah Diarra, on 5th deputy mayor, in charge of education, but he did not want to answer us.
Nelson Mandela said that ” education is the most powerful weapon to change the world » end of quote.