Education in Cape Verde

Primary school education in Cape Verde is mandatory between the ages of 6 and 14 years and free for children ages 6 to 12. In 1997, the gross primary enrollment rate was 148.8 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for Cape Verde as of 2001. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children's participation in school. Textbooks have been made available to 90 percent of school children, and 90 percent of the teachers have attended in-service teacher training.

Although most children have access to education, some problems remain. For example, many students and some teachers speak Cape Verdean Creole at home and have a poor command of Portuguese (the language of instruction); there is insufficient spending on school materials, lunches, and books; and there is a high repetition rate for certain grades.

History
For much of the nineteenth century, education in Cape Verde was primarily undertaken at the initiative of private individuals or groups at a local level, rather than state organisation. The first government-funded primary school was established on the islands of Brava, Cape Verde in 1847. The first secondary school was set up, in Praia in 1860, but this school closed after a year.

In 1866, a clergy-run Christian seminary named the Seminário-Liceu was started in São Nicolau, primarily to train priests, although not all students were ordained. The curriculum covered mathematics, science, classical languages and European literature.

After the Portuguese revolution of 1910, the Seminário-Liceu was replaced by the Liceu Gil Eanes in 1917. Liceu Gil Eanes was the only secular school in Cape Verde until 1960.

More schools opened, one that would now be called Escola Jorge Barbosa.

The first college in the nation was Escola de Formação de Professores (EFPES) opened on June 28, 1979. On October 2, 1995, EFPAS became ISE, the High Education Institute. Later, the National Techological Investigation Instutute (INIT - Instituto Nacional de Investigação Tecnológica) opened in 1980, it became INIDA (Instituto Nacionai de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Agrário) in 1997. INAG (Instituto Nacional de Administração e Gestão, National Administration and Management Institute) opened on October 21, 1998. Centro de Formação Náutica (CFN - Nautical Formation Centre) opened on June 19, 1982. On October 21, 1996, it became ISCEMAR (Instituto Superior de Engenharias e Ciências do Mar, High Institute of Marine Engineering and Sciences) The first three would become part of the University of Cape Verde which was the country's first public university opened on November 21, 2006, the latter joined in 2007. All of the predecessor schools would be eliminated and fully became campuses on October 9, 2008.

Cape Verde's only private university opened in 2001 and is called the Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde, it later opened its Mindelo Campus.

In 2009, Universidade de Santiago de Cabo Verde opened in Assomada, later in the early 2010s, the University of Santiago opened. There is also a Lusophony University in Mindelo.

Some foreign schools are located, most of it in Praia, one is Colégio Internacional - Cabo Verde, a Portuguese school, the other is a Frenck school named École Internationale Les Alizés opened in 1991.