Preschool serves children from birth to about six years in regulated institutions that prepare them for enseignement fondamental, although coverage remains low at 7.53% in 2024. Enseignement fondamental begins at about age six and lasts nine years: the 1er cycle lasts six years and the 2e cycle three years. The Diplôme d'Études Fondamentales (DEF) concludes this stage. Secondary education includes general and technical pathways, usually through a lycée, and the Baccalauréat is the main secondary qualification. A DEF can lead toward general or technical secondary education or toward an adjacent vocational pathway, but it does not guarantee a place automatically. Schools may be public, private, community-based or organized as a medersa. A medersa belongs to formal school education when it follows recognized curricula and assessment; a purely religious school does not automatically have that status. Special education and inclusive education address access, participation and learning for children with disabilities or other vulnerabilities. Higher education, continuing education, non-formal education and initial vocational training outside the school system belong to separate pathways. Mali's legal framework provides for free, secular public education and the right to attend school without discrimination. It places responsibility on parents to enroll children and keep them in school at least through the end of enseignement fondamental. Private schools set their own fees and contributions. Even public schooling can involve indirect costs such as school materials, clothing, transport and food, and no reliable national tariff applies to all institutions. The Constitution recognizes national languages as official languages, while French is the working language. The national languages named in the legal framework include bamanankan, bomu, bozo, dɔgɔsɔ, fulfulde, hasanya, mamara, maninkakan, soninke, soŋoy, syenara, tamasayt and xaasongaxanŋo. Teaching uses an official language and national languages under rules set by the education authorities, but the actual language mix depends on the programme and location. The Ministry of Education sets national policy and the curriculum. Regional coordination involves the Académie d'Enseignement (AE), while the Centre d'Animation Pédagogique (CAP) or its local structure supports pedagogical administration. Local authorities, communities and the Comité de Gestion Scolaire (CGS) contribute to school governance and resources, with parent and community groups such as APE and AME also involved. Porteduc supports AE-based identification, placement, enrollment, transfer and school retention. The Centre National des Concours de l'Éducation (CNECE) administers national examinations. Teachers assess pupils continuously and periodically through a competency-oriented system, and schools communicate results to pupils and parents. National examinations such as the DEF and Baccalauréat are separate from ordinary classroom assessment. In 2025, the DEF involved 350,409 candidates in 1,842 centres. Access remains uneven. In 2024, the gross enrollment rate, which compares total enrollment with the official age group, was 81.3% for primary education and 50.6% for lower secondary education; primary completion was 68.7%. More than 2,000 schools were not functioning in 2024/25 because of insecurity, with reported disruption affecting 601,800 children and 12,036 teachers. Support may include school kits, reading corners, water and sanitation facilities, menstrual hygiene measures, psychosocial assistance and crisis programmes. The 2025 MYRP II programme supported 204,496 children aged 3 to 18 in Gao, Kidal, Ménaka, Mopti, Taoudénit and Tombouctou. The responsible authority and available support therefore need to be checked for the specific region and institution.
School in Mali
School education in Mali includes preschool, nine years of enseignement fondamental, and secondary education. The system includes public, private, community schools and some medersas, with access and school continuity varying sharply by region. Public education is legally free and secular, but families may still pay for materials, clothing, transport and food.
Tip
Choose a school pathway in Mali by matching the child's current stage and intended transition with a formally recognized institution in the actual area. Verify the teaching language, assessment, total costs and current ability to operate before enrollment. Public schooling may reduce direct fees, but it is not a workable choice if attendance cannot be maintained or the institution's curriculum and examination status are unclear.