Training
A five-year undergraduate education for mainly ages 6-13
is mandatory since 1976. Secondary school starts at the age
of eleven and lasts for another 7 years, divided into two
cycles of 4 and 3 years respectively. In the country there
are both state and private schools.
Over the past decade, major investments have been made in
education; just over 13% of government spending went to the
education sector in 2008. In 2007, 98% of the children in
the current age groups were enrolled in primary school, but
many students quit prematurely. In 2008, the corresponding
figure for the secondary school was 24%. Reading and writing
skills were estimated to total 64% in the same year (67% for
men and 62% for women). Check topschoolsintheusa for test centers of ACT, SAT, and GRE as well high schools in the country of Madagascar.
Madagascar's largest university is located in
Antananarivo and was founded in 1961. The university also
conducted previous education in i.a. Mahajanga and
Fianarantsoa, but since 1988 these institutions are
independent universities.
Antananarivo
Antananarivo, Tananarive, Tana, the capital of Madagascar; 2.0 million
residents (2013). The town is located in the highlands and extends over several
hills from 1250 to 1470 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by a plain of
rice cultivation.
Antananarivo has many two-storey brick houses with balconies and brick roofs,
built in the traditional highland style of the highlands and in French colonial
style. It makes it look more like a collection of villages than a big city. At
the highest of the city's tops is Hova, the Queen's Palace, built of wood and
the residence of the Merina Queen Ranavalona I, who reigned 1828-61.
From 1700-t. became the Antananarivo center of Madagascar's dominant ethnic
group, the merina. Since, even during the colonial period and after independence
in 1960, it has been the political, economic and cultural center of the country.
The city grew sharply throughout the 1980's and 1990's, partly because of
Madagascar's growing poverty and partly in connection with tropical hurricanes,
which drove many from the country to the city. During the 2002 presidential
election, Antananarivo was the center of opposition to President Didier
Ratsiraka. The political turmoil meant that the city was blocked for a while.
Despite increasing social problems, however, there are no distinct slums like
in so many African cities.
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