Higher education systems and institutions, Guinea Bissau

Abstract

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a small country (approximately 36,125 square kilometers) on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Senegal to the north and the Republic of Guinea-Conakry to the southeast. With a population estimated at around 1.9 million inhabitants, it is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 178th of the 189 countries listed in the Human Development Index of 2019. The population’s life expectancy is 57 years, the adult literacy rate is 46%, and the most recent figures on expenditure on education reveal that, in 2013, only 2.13% of its GDP was allocated to the different levels of the education system. Even though Portuguese is the official language, the majority of the population speaks Creole. Constant political instability contributes to the country’s economic difficulties. Guinea-Bissau gained its independence from Portugal in 1974 after a destructive war and PAIGC, the political party resulting from the main independence...