Saint-Louis schools still in the water October 10, 2026
Two days before the start of the school year scheduled for Monday, October 12, the situation remains worrying in certain schools in Saint-Louis, particularly in the Medina Course and Pikine districts where rainwater complicates preparations. On the other hand, the schools of the city and the suburb of Sor display a more reassuring face.
SAINT-LOUIS- In Saint-Louis, it is safe to say that the start of the school year is suspended due to the weather in certain schools. As this event, scheduled for Monday, October 12, approaches, the winter continues to weigh on preparations. In the neighborhoods most exposed to flooding, teams are working to make establishments accessible in order to allow students to return to classrooms in acceptable conditions. But between stagnant water in courtyards, difficult access and affected infrastructure, the countdown is particularly tight. At the Middle School (Cem) of Médina Course the situation is worrying. This is also the case at the Boubacar Diop elementary school where a large quantity of water occupies part of the courtyard. In this establishment, access to classrooms remains complicated. The traces of wintering are visible, testifying to the difficulties that the teaching team must face a few days before the resumption of teaching. Firefighters are mobilized on site. The pumping device deployed must make it possible to evacuate the water and gradually free the invaded spaces. A race against time is underway to make the establishment usable before the students arrive. The director of the Mbaye Niang school does not hide his concerns. “We can’t say that everything is perfect at the moment. There is stagnant water in the courtyard, but also in some classrooms. Access is also a little difficult,” he explained, referring to the consequences of the heavy rainfall recorded in recent days. Faced with this situation, the management of the establishment indicates that it is working in coordination with the academic authorities and the relevant services to accelerate the return to normal. Firefighters and hygiene services are particularly called upon to contribute to the evacuation of water and the sanitation of the premises.
Despite these difficulties, the teaching staff is already present. The administrative teams also continue their activities, even if welcoming students remains a major concern for them. “The teachers entered normally. They are practically all there. But to receive the students, it’s a bit complicated,” underlined Mbaye Niang.
Temporary shelters badly affected
However, the manager hopes for a rapid improvement in the situation. The objective, he said, is to allow lessons to start on Monday, provided that the pumping operations are successful and that further precipitation does not aggravate the difficulties.
Right next door is the Cem de Médina Course. Here, the spectacle is striking. A large sheet of murky water covers part of the courtyard. On the surface, debris and construction materials bear witness to the difficulties the establishment is facing. The surroundings of the buildings are still damp and certain access points remain difficult to use. In this school, we did not find administrative and teaching staff on site, but the firefighters are hard at work. A pumping system is deployed to evacuate the water and try to make the premises passable before the arrival of the students. The operation continues while the school calendar requires rapid intervention.
Added to these flooding problems is the deterioration of the establishment’s temporary shelters. The state of these structures is another area of concern. According to the school director Boubacar Diop, access difficulties complicate the mobility of parents. The hope is to see the situation evolve in the coming days so that families can complete the necessary formalities on the eve of the start of the school year. In Pikine, the situation is hardly more reassuring. The elementary school, whose gate was closed when we visited, has walls marked by humidity and surroundings cluttered with waste and various materials. Nearby, the Pikine high school also presents a worrying image. Part of the courtyard is occupied by stagnant water. Workers are visible in the enclosure revealing an environment where work still appears to be in progress. The situation here also requires special vigilance.
In this vulnerable sector of the Saint-Louis suburbs, the rains and floods risk compromising the start of the school year even if the high school principal, Alioune Badara Diallo, assures that efforts have been made to evacuate the water and clean the classrooms. A team responsible for the living environment intervened in particular to reinforce cleaning operations. “The rainwater which was stagnant at the high school was evacuated. There are a few puddles left, but the classrooms are already very clean,” he said. For the principal, the challenge now is to create the conditions that will allow students to return to school. But this perspective remains closely linked to the evolution of the weather. In this area regularly faced with flooding, further heavy rain could compromise the efforts made. “When it rains in Pikine, the high school is not passable,” warns Alioune Badara Diallo who hopes for a lull to ensure a normal start of classes.
However, the decor is different in several establishments in the city and suburb of Sor. In these areas, no major difficulties related to flooding have been reported. The establishments visited present more favorable conditions for the start of the school year. Quite the opposite in Médina Course and Pikine.
