Transforming education in Djibouti

The government of Djibouti recognizes education as essential for growth and human development. As a result, the government has placed education at the center of its development policies.

Despite progress in increasing access and coverage in education, access to education continues to be one of the country's major challenges. Other challenges include quality, the availability of learning materials, and disparities due to gender, geographic areas, and socio-economic status.

Djibouti's education sector plan (2010-2019) had six main objectives:

  1. Develop preschool education in collaboration with the private sector, the community, and public institutions, focusing on students from rural areas and impoverished backgrounds.
  2. Achieve 100% enrollment in primary education and 79% in middle school by 2019.
  3. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, and achieving gender equality by 2019.
  4. Guarantee that all students learn at least 75% of the skills defined by the language, mathematics, science, and life skills curriculum.
  5. Reform secondary education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to ensure relevancy of training to the labor market.
  6. Improve governance practices at all levels to ensure effective and efficient management and utilization of services.

Result story

Djibouti: Giving refugee children a chance to go to school

  • Djibouti is home to some 35,000 people in emergency situations, including over 23,000 refugees and 11,000 asylum seekers, mainly from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen, nearly 40% of whom are school-age children.
  • To support the government to ensure inclusion of refugee children in the national education system, GPE and partners, including the World Bank and Education Above All, are supporting the $30.35 million Expanding Opportunities for Learning Project.
  • The program also helps strengthen the management capacities of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training.

Grants

(data as of March 19, 2024)

 
  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2023 - 2024

    Allocation: US$105,530

    Utilization: US$42,057

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: Program implementation and Multiplier

    Years: 2020 - 2025

    Allocation: US$12,500,000

    Utilization: US$9,729,707

    Grant agent: WB

  • Type: Sector plan development

    Years: 2020 - 2024

    Allocation: US$450,000

    Utilization: US$439,024

    Grant agent: UNICEF

Knowledge and innovation

Latest blogs and news

December 14, 2023
Djibouti: Giving refugee children a chance to go to school
To support Djibouti's effort to ensure inclusion of refugee children in the national education system, GPE and partners, including the World Bank and Education Above All, are supporting the $30.35 million Expanding...