Education policy in Senegal: global transformation processes, IOs’ influence and cultural spheres

Abstract

This paper gives a historical perspective of the Senegalese education system and how different global transformations, namely French colonization, the impact of Islam as a cultural sphere and the influence of International Organizations, have affected the inclusiveness and scope of services of the states' policies on education. The author argues that although the impact of the French colonization is extremely apparent, Senegal is slowly finding its way into building a Senegalese schooling system that reflects the realities of the different communities more than before, through inclusion of local languages in the curriculum, and modernizing Islamic schools to reach more students, thus increasing the inclusiveness and scope of services provided to cover a larger population.