Education Systems in Africa Part XXI: The Gambia
Every Gambian child has the right to free and compulsory education, according to the Gambian constitution. Literacy is seen as very important to the government, and to this end, the Ministry of Education has designed radio programs to provide lessons on literacy, outreach to prisons to educate inmates, and literacy efforts for youth who are not in formalized schooling programs. During elementary education, students are taught in their native language; however, the post-elementary/secondary level sees Eng
The central African country of Gabon boasts one of the highest literacy rates in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Gabonese government is in the process of implementing a series of reforms to designed to improve teacher training and access to education for all citizens. Gabon’s education system is based on the French model, and the primary language of instruction is French. Schooling is free and compulsory for children ages 6-16. 
In theory, schooling in Ethiopia is free and compulsory; however, students outside of main cities often lack access to quality schools and teachers, and enrollment and literacy are comparatively low. The Ethiopian system includes ten years of general education, consisting of eight years of primary schooling followed by two years of general secondary education.
Although Eritreans are guaranteed free primary schooling, the country’s education system continues to face numerous challenges brought on by years of war and drought. Eritrea’s government, with the help of development partners, has implemented a variety of programs designed to improve access to education and increase the ranks of qualified teachers.
Education in Equatorial Guinea, a tiny country in west Africa, is free and compulsory for children from the preschool level through secondary school. 
Egypt’s constitution states that education is the right of every citizen. Primary schooling for children ages 6-15 is compulsory, and the country’s leadership wants to extend obligatory education to higher cycles. Egypt’s government is also working towards greater access to education among poor, rural and nomadic citizens.
Education is a high priority in Djibouti (formerly known as Somaliland), a small country in the Horn of Africa. The Djiboutian government has increased spending on education, and enrollment and literacy rates are climbing in response to improvements in infrastructure, technology, and teacher recruitment and training.
Cote d’Ivoire continues to rebuild an education system devastated by the country’s 2011 civil war. Recent months have seen positive developments, including the re-opening of the country’s universities, which were closed for much of the past two years. The Ivoirian government and development partners are working to train teachers and repair infrastructure with the goal of providing quality schooling for children throughout the country.
While the Democratic Republic of Congo’s constitution mandates free, universal and compulsory primary education, years of civil war followed by ongoing political and ethnic strife have kept millions of children away from school. Literacy remains relatively low, and the Congolese government faces many challenges in improving citizens’ access to and quality of schooling.
Every person has the right to a quality education; so says Congolese law. Yet years of instability have taken a toll on the country’s ability to provide schooling for its citizens. In spite of such challenges, the Republic of Congo boasts a relatively high literacy rate. New reforms, implemented in 2004, aimed at boosting infrastructure and improving teacher training, should brighten Congo’s educational future. 
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