According to the Defender of Rights in France, there are 'more than 15,000 children' who lack access to traditional education in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte. Due to overcrowded

schools, an organization has stepped in to assist these children, and the local education authority is well aware of the issue.

On the morning of October 2, Isaac, a 5-year-old, was having trouble focusing on his coloring. While lying on a mat with his feet in the air and crayons in hand, three of his classmates had nearly completed their tasks. "He's usually one of the first to finish and likes to show off," smiled Allaouyat Bacar, his teacher, dressed in an elegant indigo-colored boubou.

Isaac, like many children of undocumented parents, had his first day of school not in an official institution but in a classroom run by the Le Village d'Eva organization. In 2022, this organization welcomed 840 unschooled children at its four locations, like around 15 other organizations in Mayotte. The local authorities in the town of Koungou, in northern Mayotte, informed Isaac's Comorian parents that there was no available space in any kindergarten. However, they later learned about the association through word-of-mouth. "Isaac is beginning to speak a little French," said a delighted educator in a room adorned with paper strips to aid in the memorization of letters, numbers, and colors. "He arrived in April with an uncle. His parents had already moved to Mayotte. During a sports session on the beach, he saw a boat and told us how he arrived by 'kwassa-kwassa,' which is the name of these rapid fishing canoes."

In this French territory in the Indian Ocean, Claire Hédon, the Defender of Rights, warned in September that "more than 15,000 children" have no access to conventional schooling. A study conducted by the University of Paris-Nanterre, published in February, estimated that between "5,379 and 9,575" of these children, aged 3 to 15, were not attending school, even though they were entitled to do so. On an island where nearly 50% of the population is under 18, and the population is growing at just under 4% per year, schools are overcrowded. At the beginning of the 2022 school year, there were 112,196 students enrolled, with 54.2% in primary schools. This represents a record number in this overseas French department and accounts for 3.9% more students than in 2021. Photo by Bebetot, Wikimedia commons.