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Children struggling to focus in class because they have had only a meager snack during the day. Doing their homework by candlelight or with the flashlight on their phones because there is no electricity. Struggling to understand the language of instruction in class because they do not speak it well.
At first glance, you might think this is a description of an education system in a country without the resources to provide free and accessible schooling for all children. But that is not the case here.
Here, we are talking about children going to school in one of the richest countries in the world - France. More specifically, in the overseas department of Mayotte.
Located in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar, Mayotte is one of France's 13 overseas territories, inherited from its colonial past. It is the poorest part of France.
For years, an insufficient number of teachers and classrooms has meant that most children in Mayotte have to attend classes in shifts, some in the morning and others in the afternoon. To make an already dire situation worse, a cyclone devastated the islands last December, destroying many schools and homes.
Instead of taking measures to ensure as many children as possible have access to school in this difficult context, Mayotte’s municipalities—which are responsible for primary education—often require families to produce specific documents showing their address, which may be difficult or impossible for those living in informal settlements.
The numbers are clear: up to 9% of school-age children in Mayotte were not enrolled in school in 2023. This is not acceptable, particularly in a country as wealthy as France.
French MPs will debate a bill next week to provide for the reconstruction of Mayotte. As HRW’s Elvire Fondacci points out: "This is an opportunity to correct decades of underinvestment, mismanagement, and persistent lack of political will.”
Ensuring the right to education for all children in France is not optional in Mayotte simply because it is an overseas territory.
