The Matam region is grappling with a high rate of school dropout, particularly at the elementary level. Despite progress in higher grades, keeping students enrolled in the early classes remains a major concern.

An analysis by the regional education authority reveals a downward trend in the dropout rate for 2025 compared to 2024 in secondary and middle school cycles. General secondary education shows a significant decrease, dropping from 13.30% in 2024 to 5.40% in 2025. This figure even surpassed the target of 9.25%.

For the general middle school cycle, the numbers show a slight decrease, with the dropout rate moving from 10.90% to 10.70%, against a target of 10.80%.

However, the dropout rate at the elementary cycle remains alarming. While the target was set at 9.50% for 2025, it far exceeds this threshold, reaching 11.30%. The reduction goal was not met. A gender breakdown shows significant disparities: 13.70% for boys compared to 9.80% for girls.

Matam's Regional Education Inspector, Mamoudou Oumar Guèye, attributes this school attrition primarily to several sociological factors, including emigration, teacher mobility, and a lack of infrastructure in remote areas. He emphasizes that issues related to nomadism in certain zones, such as the Ranérou department or the northern part of the Kanel department, are major contributors to these high rates. The frequent movements of pastoralist communities often force children to leave school to follow their families. These sociological realities remain major obstacles to educational stability.

To address the teacher shortage, the Ministry of Education has bolstered human resources in the region. Despite this commendable effort, the inspector insists on the need to continue this momentum to solve structural problems that have existed for several years.

According to him, the personnel deficit is being resolved thanks to actions undertaken by the authorities. He expresses optimism, stating that if this trend continues, these difficulties could soon become a distant memory for the region.

"Since the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Matam has benefited from a better balance between teacher departures and new postings to the region, notably due to the substantial allocation of resources during the national recruitment drive. This ministerial commitment has enabled the opening of new educational structures. For example, in the Ranérou department, the number of functional preschool units has increased from two to five thanks to the personnel reinforcement."

While concerns about the personnel deficit are easing, the strikes recorded this year nevertheless raise questions about their potential impact on overall academic performance. If they were to intensify, they could hinder the progress made and jeopardize the set objectives.