Students are re-taking their examinations in hopes of earning international education

They get the right scores, some of this year's Mauritanian bac candidates may be eligible for foreign study scholarships.This year's three target disciplines include mathematics, science and technology, according to the National Grant Commission. The chosen subjects change on a year-by-year basis, depending on the needs of the national economy.With this in mind, a number of those who have passed the exam are willing to take it again, hoping to improve their average marks and change subjects.

Sayed Ould Joulany obtained his bac in the mathematics stream in 2009-2010, with a mark of 10.5 out of 20. This was not enough to apply for a grant to study abroad, he said.I wanted to study medicine, and not having achieved the marks, I needed to apply for a grant. I went to Senegal, which is right next to Mauritania, to continue my studies at my own expense,he told Magharebia.I didn't manage to get onto the medical course as I'd hoped,Ould Joulany added. "So I signed up with the chemistry faculty, and at the same time I studied towards this year's baccalaureate in natural sciences. I passed that with a good general average and I'm in a good position to get a grant to study abroad. I've chosen Turkey and France.

Other candidates, however, continue with the same objects to turn their ambitions into reality. Amadou Dieng obtained his baccalaureate in TMGM Technology, Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering in 2009. Having passed with an average mark of 12/20 in 2010, he received a scholarship to study this year in Algeria, where he is pursuing his studies in mining and geology. In spite of courses such as medicine becoming more widely available in Mauritania, a number of students prefer to go abroad to study particularly France,Sweden,Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal where such specialisations enjoy very advanced, high quality teaching, Brahim Ould Soultane, the head of a privately-run high school in Nouakchott, told Magharebia.

For parents, the primary concern is to ensure that their children earn a high level of education, according to Mariem Mint Hassan, who belongs to a parents' association.Our education system has a number of gaps,she said.There's no shame in saying that, because it's the case in a number of poor countries like ours. If a person who has already passed the baccalaureate re-sits the exam in the hope of getting a good higher education abroad, then that means the state should provide more resources and people to build up the universities and train the teaching staff they need.The only university in Mauritania is located in Nouakchott and has four faculties. This year the government set up the Islamic Studies Institute in the interior of the country. A programme to build a university campus in the suburbs of Nouakchott is under way.