Dilemma as Malian Government Plans to Stop Funding Catholic Schools

The project partner adds, “We are asking the Lord to give us clarity about the decisions which we must make, to continue to follow his call in this difficult context.” 

In the face of the challenges, ACN’s project partner appeals for prayer, so that a solution may be found for the future. “The Church in Mali needs support in this struggle surrounding the formation of young people and the building of a peaceful world. Please pray for this intention!”

ACN reports that Mali is “a country which is increasingly suffering the influence of fundamentalism”, adding that most actors and partners in its Catholic education system emphasize the important role which Catholic schools play in preserving peace in the country.

“Catholic schools in Mali promote Christian-Islamic dialogue. However, with the announced cancellation of subsidies, these institutions are now under threat,” the charity foundation which documents Christian persecution around the globe says.

ACN says that since 2012, the very poor and majority Muslim country has been experiencing an influx of fundamentalists and terrorists, which among other things, threatens the peaceful coexistence of religions. 

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It is the Catholic Church that is actively committed to the return of peace in Mali, ACN’s local project partner says, and explains, “In fact, 80 percent of the children in our schools are Muslims, while Christians make up only 3 percent of Mali’s population.”

The local source says that Muslims in Mali value Catholic schools highly because of the quality of the teaching, which, according to the source, “offers holistic human formation.”

Another of ACN’s project partners, who likewise wishes to remain anonymous, confirms this. “In our schools, from primary school onwards, we raise the awareness of children about the promotion of peace, respect and the acceptance of others.”

Because of its contribution to the formation of Malian citizens by the Catholic education system, there has existed since 1972 an agreement between the Bishops’ Conference of Mali and the Malian government. 

In this it is laid down that the State subsidises the salaries of teachers while the Church takes on, among other things, the management, the buildings, the social security contributions and the leadership of the schools. 

ACN’s project partner laments that owing to Mali’s economic situation, which is said to be partly to do with the security crisis and many challenges, the State has for some years already had difficulty in fulfilling its responsibilities to Catholic schools.

“From year to year the debts are growing,” the project partner says, adding that Catholic Bishops in Mali have been trying to cover the financial gaps through bank loans until they could no longer do it.

ACN reports that it has been focused on supporting Mali’s education system. An example the entity give is the contribution to the construction of a university center for the Islamic-Christian Institute of Formation (IFIC).