Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday that Mayotte, a French island territory in the Indian Ocean and former French colony, is failing to provide education to all children.
The 73-page report, titled “Exceptional Failure: France’s Persistent Education Shortcomings in Mayotte,” found that Mayotte’s municipalities not only impose significant barriers to school enrollment, but those who are enrolled attend overcrowded schools that are ill-equipped to “meet their basic needs, such as access to drinking water, sanitation, nutritious food, and a safe learning environment.” HRW interviewed more than 40 children, parents, government officials, teachers, and others in its research.
HRW claimed that the French government has neglected Mayotte, and Mayotte’s education system has faced a shortage of classrooms and teachers for years. Because of the lack of necessities, many schools operate on an alternating schedule, with most children attending school for only part of the day. The lack of necessities only increased after a cyclone in 2024 left a trail of destruction to homes, schools, and infrastructure.
Despite French law prescribing free education for children aged 3-16, a separate 2023 University of Paris Nanterre study found that nearly nine percent of Mayotte children were not in school. France advocacy officer at HRW, Elvire Fondacci, voiced deep concern about the situation:
It is shocking that thousands of children in Mayotte are denied access to school, while those who do attend face substandard learning conditions. All children in Mayotte should be able to experience their right to education on an equal footing with children elsewhere in France.
Libraries Without Borders has attempted to help the situation, working with the French Red Cross to bring a mobile media library to the island, which is now used by hundreds of young people and refugees. The group has also used “ideas boxes” to crowdsource potential solutions to educational emergencies and learning needs. Members believe island education is crucial for economic and social stability, citing a 43 percent unemployment rate for young people between the ages of 15 and 29.
The Foundation of France, France’s leading philanthropy network, is also raising money to support education efforts. After the 2024 cyclone, the foundation raised €43.6 million in donations to support the island. Of the €43.6 million, €15.1 million has already been committed to support more than 200 initiatives across Mayotte, 73 of which concern education and youth development.
Mayotte, one of 13 overseas French territories, is France’s poorest area, with more than 75 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
