Preschool education, or enseignement préscolaire, generally serves children aged 3 to 5 through petite, moyenne and grande section. It is formal education but is not compulsory, and preschool attendance is not established as a general admission requirement for elementary school. Elementary education, called enseignement élémentaire, lasts six years from CI and CP through CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2 and usually covers ages 6 to 12. It develops basic competences under the Curriculum de l’éducation de base and leads to the Certificat de fin d’études élémentaires (CFEE). Middle education, called enseignement moyen, lasts four years from 6e through 3e and is mainly provided by Collèges d’Enseignement Moyen (CEM). It usually covers ages 12 to 16 and leads to the Brevet de fin d’études moyennes (BFEM). General secondary education lasts three years in seconde, première and terminale, usually at a lycée, and can follow literary or scientific fields. It leads to the Baccalauréat. Franco-Arabic secondary education forms part of the general secondary pathway, while technical and vocational secondary education is a related school pathway with its own focus. Children normally enter elementary school at age 6. Parents are responsible for registering children in a public or private school and ensuring regular attendance. Senegalese law provides compulsory schooling from ages 6 to 16, and the State is responsible for supporting continued participation in education. Public school tuition is zero under Law No. 2004-37, while private fees are not set by one national scale. Materials, transport, meals and other costs can depend on the school, provider or support programme. Senegal has no verified single nationwide residential catchment or online enrollment procedure; admission arrangements can therefore differ locally. Under Decree No. 2026-1112 of 21 May 2026, the CFEE is the unified elementary completion certificate and the entrance examination for 6e was abolished. The decree provides two examination options, French and Franco-Arabic, and sets a minimum admission result of 5 out of 10. Older Ministry pages may still mention the former entrance examination, so the current annual rentrée instructions and legal notices should be checked when a child moves from elementary to middle education. French remains the central language of instruction. National-language and bilingual models are expanding, and Franco-Arabic schools use French and Arabic. Senegalese schools are secular; religious education is optional and follows the parents' choice. Schools assess learners through formative and summative work, while DEXCO organizes national examinations, the Office du Baccalauréat manages the Baccalauréat and INEADE develops curriculum and assessment reference frameworks. School provision includes public, private, private Catholic, Franco-Arabic, daara moderne, special-education and inclusive schools. A daara is a religious education institution; the Inspection des Daara modernes oversees its modernization, regulation and educational and administrative supervision while its integration into the national system continues to develop. A daara should not automatically be treated as equivalent to a formal school. Community basic schools and écoles du 3e type are non-formal or alternative provision rather than the core formal pathway. Support measures can include school health, canteens, protection, citizenship education and inclusive education, with attention to gender, territory and disability, but no uniform nationwide benefit level is verified. The Ministère de l’Éducation nationale sets national policy, rules, curricula and teaching resources and supervises public and private schools and daara modernes. The Direction de l’Enseignement élémentaire (DEE) covers elementary education, the Direction de l’Enseignement moyen secondaire général (DEMSG) covers middle and general secondary education, INEADE supports curriculum work, and DEXCO handles examinations. Inspections d’Académie (IA) and Inspections de l’Éducation et de la Formation (IEF) supervise and implement education locally, while collectivités territoriales carry delegated education responsibilities. Schools and Comités de Gestion d’École (CGE) contribute to local governance. CNOSP and CAOSP support school and professional guidance, including transitions toward further education or vocational training.
School in Senegal
Formal schooling in Senegal runs from preschool through elementary, middle and general secondary education. Elementary education lasts six years, middle education four years and general secondary education three years, with the CFEE, BFEM and Baccalauréat as national qualifications. Public school education is tuition-free, and children from ages 6 to 16 are subject to compulsory schooling.
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