In the Ivory Coast, the government is responsible for providing free public education. The education system is as follows: Ages 1-13 take 6 years in primary school to recieve a certificate of primary students. Then they move on to a lower cycle of secondary school for 4 years, then the second cycle for 3 years, and then alternative secondary education for 4 years, leading to an elementary certificate. After that they move on to vocational schools, technical and teacher-training institutions, and finally tertiary (University level). The Ivory Coast encourages tertiary level to recieve medical degrees, etc. and to help the economy.

 

In 2008 the public spending on education by the government was 24.61% of the total government expenditure, compared to the United States' 18.7% in 2008, which means that the Ivory Coast is trying to increase the amount of intelligents, and ultimately, the workforce.