Education in Togo

Education in Togo is compulsory for six years. In 1996, the gross primary enrollment rate was 119.6 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 81.3 percent. Primary school attendance rates were unavailable for Togo as of 2001. While enrollment rates indicate a level of commitment to education, they do not always reflect children's participation in school. The education system has had teacher shortages, lower educational quality in rural areas, and high repetition and dropout rates. In the north part of the country, 41 percent of the primary school teachers are remunerated by the parents compared with only 17 percent in Lome, where incomes are substantially higher. Despite the increase in number of school kids, the education in Togo is insufficient. The number of adults that go to school is very low. The mean of adult learning from 2003-2013 was estimated to be only 3% of the adult population. Nevertheless, there are attempts to improve the quality of education in Togo recently. A plan for free education has been put into action; the tuition for primary schools has been made forbidden. Many students go to school and it is becoming easier for poor parents to send their kids to school, but there is a long way to go.