West African Science Enrollment Declined Through 2026
Students across the region increasingly avoided science and mathematics tracks due to perceived difficulty and limited resources.
Updated on Oct. 3, 2026 in Mathematics
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Participation in science and mathematics education across West Africa saw significant declines by 2026. Data from countries including Ivory Coast and Senegal highlighted a consistent shift away from specialized STEM streams.
Why it matters
The downturn is driven by perceptions of high workloads, teacher shortages, and insufficient laboratory facilities. These regional challenges limit student interest and long-term career prospects in critical technical fields.
In Ivory Coast, the broader science stream share fell from 45 percent in 2015 to 38 percent in 2022, while the elite maths-and-physics track saw just 0.6 percent enrollment in 2022. Niger has subsequently closed high school science classes due to low participation.
The players
Ivory Coast Government
This national administration is actively establishing science hubs and elite preparatory classes to promote mathematics and physics.
Niger Ministry of Education
This agency has overseen the closure of various high school science classes as a result of low student enrollment.
The details
Authorities in countries like Ivory Coast are responding by creating nationwide science hubs and elite preparatory classes to revitalize interest. Despite these efforts, students continue to opt for larger literature-focused classes, which can host up to 80 pupils compared to much smaller science cohorts.
Timeline
Early 2000s: Senegal science stream participation stood at nearly 30 percent.
2015: Broader science stream enrollment in Ivory Coast reached 45 percent.
2022: Enrollment in the elite maths-and-physics track in Ivory Coast was 0.6 percent.
2026: The share of students in science streams in Senegal fell to 15.5 percent.
The Big Picture
The decline in regional interest marks a departure from the 2015 Ivory Coast science stream enrollment baseline. This shift indicates a potential systemic change in how secondary education is prioritized across West Africa.
The regional shortage of science-educated graduates may constrain local innovation and limit the development of homegrown technical industries. This could result in a long-term reliance on external expertise for specialized projects.
The takeaway
The trend suggests that without addressing infrastructure and staffing deficits, students may continue to favor non-science tracks. Policymakers face the challenge of rebranding technical subjects to match modern career expectations.
Further reading
Learn more about global academic trends in the Mathematics section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kuwait Times.
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