In Mauritania, push to phase out private schools divides opinion

Nouakchott, Mauritania – Moulay Ould Rais waited to pick up his son and daughter from a government-owned school in west Nouakchott’s Sahraoui neighbourhood. As the closing bell rang at the Abdellahi Ould Nouegued Basic School, streams of pre-teen children rushed out into the hallways with their bulky schoolbags and lunch boxes. Recommended Stories list of 4 items end of list It was a Friday, so there was joy in the air as the weekend neared. Retired engineer Rais, 67, was feeling optimistic for other reasons – he had hope in new changes to the school system. He backs the government’s decision to phase out private schools in favour of state-run institutions, pitched as a bid to standardise education quality. Despite protests by some parents and teachers, Rais believes the system will be better for children. “Everyone will benefit from it,” Rais, who heads the school’s parents’ association, told Al Jazeera. He said he remembers a time when there were only public schools. He was able to become a civil engineer who worked across West Africa. But when private schools emerged, impoverished families suffered, he said. “It will bring back a generation like the first generation, where people were united and at peace with one another,” Rais added, as schoolchildren gathered around him, playfully tugging at his white boubou. …