Georges Sédou Diatta

A Senegalese educator who founded West Africa's first secular girls' school, challenging colonial-era gender norms.

Georges Sédou Diatta (1867–1941) was a visionary educator in French West Africa, best known for establishing the first secular school for girls in Dakar, Senegal in 1898. Born in Saint-Louis to a family of traders, he witnessed the limited educational opportunities for women under French colonial rule. His school, L’École Mixte Sédou Diatta, initially faced fierce opposition from traditional leaders but eventually enrolled over 300 students by 1905.

Diatta’s curriculum emphasized practical skills like arithmetic and agriculture alongside French language studies. He collaborated with Lamine Gueye to create a network of schools across the region. His memoir "The Right to Knowledge" (1930) became a foundational text for later African feminists. Modern scholars credit him with laying the groundwork for Senegal’s current 80% female literacy rate.