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In Madagascar the education follows a 5-4-3 system, where
the primary school lasts for 5 years, the secondary school
for 4 years and the secondary school for 3 years. According
to UNESCO, 35.5% of the population over 15 years were
illiterate in 2009.
Basic education
The official school age is 6 years. The primary school is
in principle free and compulsory. There are both public and
private schools. In 2002, 69% of six-year-olds started
school. About. 22% of children attend private primary
schools. Since 1976, Malagasy has been the language of
instruction in elementary and other public schools. French
is compulsory both in primary and secondary school. See TOPSCHOOLSINTHEUSA for TOEFL, ACT, SAT testing locations and high school codes in Madagascar.
Higher education
The University of Antananarivo is the country's leading
university. Only about 4% of the population aged 18-22
received higher education in 2011.
In front of thousands of supporters, Ravalomanana
declared himself president in February 2002. At the same
time, he appointed 9 ministers. It came to a clash between
the supporters of the two candidates and Ratsiraka declared
Antananarivo in the state of emergency. The country was
paralyzed and Ratsiraka and his ministers retreated to the
country's second largest city, Toamasina as they declared
the country's new capital. At the same time, they launched
an economic blockade of Antananarivo. In March, Ravalomanana
took control of the Interior Ministry, Ratsiraka's last
bastion in Antananarivo, and further proclaimed himself
commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
In April, the Constitutional Court canceled the result of
the December voting and asked for a new count, which was
accepted by both candidates. The new census results gave
Ravalomanana 51.46% of the vote, making him the country's
new president. Ratsiraka got 35.9% and he refused to accept
the result, declaring that the Constitutional Court was
biased against him.
In the first week of May, Toamasina province declared
itself independent. In this way, Ratsiraka sought to
surround the capital and cut it off from the country's
ports, but he had to recoup a series of military and
diplomatic defeats. After the United States, Australia,
Japan, Germany and the former colonial power of France
recognized the government of Ravalomanana, Ratsiraka fled to
Seychelles and from there on to July in France. When the
conflict was finally over and Ravalomanana had gained
control over the country, parliamentary elections were held
to test the popularity of the new government. That gave him
a majority in parliament.
In 2003, the fugitive Ratsiraka was sentenced to 10 years
of forced labor for public money fraud. Former Prime
Minister Tantely Andrianarivo was sentenced to 12 years of
forced labor.
In February-March 2004, Madagascar sought international
assistance after a cyclone ravaged especially the northern
part of the country. 200,000 people had been made homeless
and several died. The country is often ravaged by cyclones
during the winter months. In April, the EU Commission
decided to grant DKK 2 million. Euro in aid to the victims
of the natural disasters.
In October, the World Bank reduced Madagascar's foreign
debt by $ 2 billion. At the same time, the IMF provided a
loan of DKK 16 million. US $ to support the country's
economic growth and poverty reduction. In this context, IMF
Director General Rodrigo Rato stated: "Madagascar's
immediate challenges are to maintain macroeconomic
stability, accelerate structural reforms and expand the
breadth of export products to increase exports and economic
development."
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