2011 Reports

Education Needs Assessment for the City of Louga, Senegal

Maoulidi, Moumie

This needs assessment evaluates progress made by the city of Louga, Senegal, towards the attainment of the education-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It analyzes the current situation and presents the results of a costing exercise conducted by Millennium Cities Initiative (MCI) and the mayor's office in the city of Louga. The education sector in Louga is constantly evolving, with significant recent progress. The number of students and teachers has increased, with the primary school gross enrollment rate (GER) growing from 100 to 122 percent between 2002 and 2009. Disparities between girls' and boys' enrollment are also decreasing. The municipality recently identified several neighborhoods in need of educational improvements, including Montagne Nord, Artillerie Nord, Keur Serigne Louga Est and Santhiaba Nord. The city's suggestions include building 18 classrooms, rehabilitating schools and providing learning materials. The goal is to ensure that all the children in Louga have access to education and complete five or six years of quality primary education by 2015. The lack of financial resources, as well as insufficient schools, classrooms, books and water points are the main constraints on achieving universal primary education by 2015. Some public schools are still relying on temporary shelters--makeshift classrooms often made of thatched straw and tree branches--until permanent classrooms are built. Despite collaborative efforts undertaken by the central government and local authorities, classrooms, as well as administrative and staff units require rehabilitation, and separate bathrooms for girls and boys need to be built. Although several secondary schools have been built in recent years, enrollments have not increased significantly, leaving this as an ongoing challenge. Education quality and internal efficiency also need to improve. Teachers are not properly trained, not well paid, and repetition and drop-out rates remain high. Many primary schools students are therefore poorly educated, and some do not complete the primary school cycle. The results from the needs and costs assessment model utilized in this assessment show that an annual per capita investment of $30 (15,165 CFA) between 2012 and 2015 can help the city of Louga to achieve education-related Millennium Development Goals by 2015. This report is divided in three sections. The first, a general description of the education system in Louga and Senegal, also defines the objectives, methodology and limitations of this needs assessment. The second section analyzes the data collected in the field and from city and national publications. The third section presents the costs of the interventions necessary to achieve the education-related MDGs, and the fourth section offers MCI's conclusions and recommendations.