Madar (Nouakchott) - Mauritania's Ministry of Education and Reform of the Education System on Monday, 9 November 2026 opened a national workshop in Tiguent, Trarza region, on orientation and the management of streams in secondary education, running until 18 November, according to the Mauritanian News Agency (AMI).
According to the agency, the workshop brings together officials from the education and vocational training ministries. It aims to assess the state of school orientation, diagnose its shortcomings, review the criteria used to assign pupils to literary, science and technical streams, and set unified national procedures to ensure fairness and transparency in orientation and reorientation.
The workshop is also meant to develop practical mechanisms to help pupils choose the study paths best suited to their abilities and aspirations, reduce unsuitable orientation that can lead to academic failure or dropping out, and strengthen the role of schools and families in the process.
Opening the workshop, the education ministry's chargé de mission, Sidi Ould Emelid, said reforming secondary education is not limited to curricula and programmes but also requires an effective orientation system based on objective and transparent criteria that take into account pupils' abilities, the school map and national priorities in science, technology and technical and vocational training.
He added that the ministry is counting on participants to produce a practical national vision, updated orientation criteria and an action plan that can be implemented at central and regional levels, ensuring equal opportunities in the choice of study paths.
The opening was attended by the director general of education, the director of secondary education and advisers and officials from the education ministry, as well as officials from the Ministry of Vocational Training, Handicrafts and Trades, the same source said.
