Medersas in Mali: A Qualitative Research Study of the USAID/PHARE Program

These institutions are registered by the Ministry of Education and follow a curriculum mandated by the Ministry. Currently, 1840 medersas are registered in Mali, with the primary language of instruction being Arabic, and French instruction beginning in 3rd grade. The majority of pupils in the medersas come from families in the lower socio-economic levels. Parents of medersa students are education-minded but want a religious education for their children. There are often incorrect associations with religious fundamentalism and foreign funding, which are seen as a threat. Faith in education is high among parents and children in medersas, but pedagogical quality is low, French instruction is lacking, and resources are extremely lean and even nonexistent in places. A nationwide sample of 14/15 education regions, 39/70 education districts, and 98 medersas was selected for the USAID Mali PHARE study. The study found that medersas offer all levels of pre-university education, with the majority found in the first and second cycles of the fundamental level. The average student/teacher ratio is 31/1, and the average number of pupils in a medersa is 250, with 45% of the students being girls. Medersa personnel consist of one director and eight teachers, with the majority of directors holding the BAC (35%) or the DEF (31%). The majority of teachers hold the 9th grade certificate (DEF 41%), and the 12th grade BAC (37%); 7% hold higher education degrees. Teachers at the junior high level seem to be more qualified in terms of education. 90% of the medersa teachers are male, and only 10% are female. Salaries are quite low, averaging 23,000 CFA per month. Teaching practices in medersas include high use of the blackboard (70.6%), adequate subject matter mastery (68.4%), equal attention to gender (66.5%), and appropriate behavior of teachers in class (60.9%).