Education in Equatorial Guinea

The literacy rate in Equatorial Guinea is 92.1% for men and 76.4% for women. This disparity is explained by the fact that girls, for one reason or another, are more likely to drop out of school than boys, despite free education from the pre-school program to the secondary school level, and the government support to education in the country.

The pre-school program admits children from three to six years of age. It is divided into two parts: the nursery and kindergarten devoted mostly to games, creative activities, and other children events. The primary education is for five years while the secondary education has four years in the first stage and three years in the second stage. This level is a preparation for admission to college or the higher institution of higher learning. The primary school has also two levels, namely: the first for children aged six to 10, and the second for children aged 10 to 12. The secondary school has two cycles to earn a baccalaureate degree. The first cycle consists of four years of study, and the second cycle, three years. The advanced cycle or college education has three levels: (1) three years of study (2) two years of specialized study, and (3) three years devoted to research.

The educational system is supervised by the Ministry of Education and Sciences and is focused on the country’s transformation into a high-quality source of well-educated young men and women, the development of the youth not only with skills needed for the socio-economic advancement of the country, but also to be highly competitive in the global economy. A plan for the country also includes giving priority to basic education, especially the pre-school and primary levels, and to girls’ education to discourage, among others, rampant marriages and pregnancies among the young undergraduate women.