Spatial Mobility, Access to the City and Inequalities : The Case of Students at the University of Segou

Abstract

The city of Ségou is recognized as a city of student mobility. The extent of this mobility is now a major problem and is becoming a concern for department heads, teachers, and students at the University of Ségou. The objective of this article is to demonstrate how spatial mobility constitutes a good indicator for understanding social inequalities related to access to urban resources for students at the University of Ségou. Writing this article involved the study of theses, dissertations, scientific articles, and reports. A mixed-methods approach was used for data collection. The results indicate that men represent the majority of students, or 75%. Our respondents came from diverse regions, with 81% coming from urban areas and 19% from rural areas. The lack of a university in their locality is the main reason why students choose the University of Ségou. The living conditions of mobile students are precarious. These impacts on academic success (decline in student performance, dropping out of studies, retraining for other activities).