Djibouti's Education Minister, Mustafa Mohamed Mahmoud, led a delegation to the official ceremony announcing the results of the 2024 Program for the Analysis of Educational Systems (PASEC) in Dakar, Senegal, on October 26, 2026. The event, held at the King Fahd Palace Hotel, brought together representatives from 16 countries and major financial partners of the program. As the current President of the Conference of Ministers of Education of French-speaking Countries (CONFEMEN), Minister Mahmoud's participation underscores Djibouti's historical connection to PASEC, which began its activities in the country in 1991.
The PASEC program aims to evaluate the performance of educational systems, measure learning outcomes, and promote quality education in member countries. The 2024 evaluation involved over 364,000 students across Africa, focusing on students in grades 2, 5, and 7. For the first time, the program included feedback from parents and teachers to broaden the data used in analyzing the state of educational systems and understanding factors influencing learning outcomes.
During the discussions following the presentation of results, Minister Mahmoud linked the international evaluation findings to the reality of educational institutions in Djibouti. He described the indicators revealed as a "necessary alarm bell" that calls for accelerating reforms and ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students. In response, the minister outlined a roadmap based on Djibouti's independent national evaluation system, which includes training 30-40% of teachers annually until 2027 and organizing a national conference in 2028.
Minister Mahmoud emphasized the importance of comparing PASEC data with Djibouti's national evaluation results to identify priorities and guide reforms according to actual school and learner needs. He reiterated Djibouti's commitment to continuing its participation in PASEC 2028 and strengthening efforts to develop the education system, improve quality, and enhance outcomes.
As part of the event, the Djibouti delegation participated in a press conference and a high-level ministerial session to discuss the main orientations for evaluating African educational systems and prospects for development and cooperation among concerned countries. The press conference featured Minister Mahmoud alongside the President of CONFEMEN, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoua, and other ministers of education.
The Djibouti delegation officially submitted the country's commitment document for the 2028 PASEC program cycle to the permanent technical secretariat of CONFEMEN, reaffirming the country's readiness to engage in joint efforts to improve education quality and enhance learning outcome assessment mechanisms across Africa. This move is significant as Djibouti is set to host the CONFEMEN General Assembly in 2028.
Minister Mahmoud presented Djibouti's vision for utilizing international evaluation results to guide educational reforms, stressing the importance of leveraging PASEC as an international reference for evaluating educational system performance and measuring learning outcomes. This approach reflects Djibouti's commitment to integrating international indicators with national assessment mechanisms to inform education policy decisions.
Key points
- Djibouti's Education Minister participated in the PASEC results announcement in Dakar, Senegal, highlighting the country's commitment to improving education quality.
- The 2024 PASEC evaluation involved over 364,000 students across Africa, focusing on students in grades 2, 5, and 7.
- Djibouti is set to host the CONFEMEN General Assembly in 2028, providing an opportunity to contribute to education dialogue and exchange experiences among member countries.
