Improvements in health are notes by ENDE, while education is heavily criticised.
"Notable improvements in access to health services have been recorded, driven by the increase in the number of health facilities. Today, health infrastructures are closer to citizens, with around 67% of the population having access to a health facility. The population's satisfaction with the health services provided has increased significantly, from 53% in 2014/15 to 60% per cent in 2022," notes ENDE.
"Communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases have reduced significantly in recent decades, due to the success of prevention and treatment strategies for the main childhood diseases." But HIV/AIS, tuberculosis and malaria "remain serious". Infant mortality and child malnutrition remain high. "Waiting times, lack of essential medicines and medical equipment are factors in the population's dissatisfaction with health services.
But on Education, ENDE says "the low quality of education prevents young people from having better job opportunities and limits their prospects of a better quality of life, resulting in a society with low productivity. Education indicators show that the system is unable to educate literate children and adolescents by the age of 15. In the initial years of primary education, despite improvements in learning rates, the inequalities are still great between rural and urban areas", reports ENDE. The average pupil/teacher ratio in basic education is 64 pupils to one teacher, "which has had an impact on learning levels".
"Worker training to ensure a qualitative and quantitative expansion of the labour supply" requires significant investment."
Illiteracy levels remain particularly high for women (49%) compared to men (26%) and rural (52%) compared to urban (20%). "Education infrastructure, especially at pre-school and secondary school level, is still a challenge in terms of guaranteeing fair access, quality and equity in learning."
School books are distributed free of charge but they do not reach all students. "Overcrowding in schools, reflected in the high pupil/teacher ratio, the lack of classrooms, the shortage of essential water and sanitation infrastructure in many schools, as well as the shortage of qualified teachers, represent persistent challenges in the national education system." This results in "a high rate of school wastage expressed by the high number of dropouts, especially among girls, and high failure rates and low completion rates for each level of education."
