Islam and its institutions help to integrate Comoran society and offer an identification with a world beyond the islands' shores. As Sunni Muslims, the people follow religious observances conscientiously and strictly adhere to religious orthodoxy. During the time of colonization, the French did not attempt to supplant Islamic customs and practices and were careful to respect the precedents of Islamic law as interpreted by the Shafii school.

France accomplished a system of primary and secondary schools based on the French model, which remains largely in place. Comoran law requires all children to complete eight years of schooling between the ages of seven and fifteen. The system provides six years of primary education for students ages six to twelve, followed by seven years of secondary school. In recent years, enrollment has expanded greatly, particularly at the primary level. About 20,750 pupils, or roughly 75 % of primary-school-age children were listed in 1993, up from about 46 % in the late 1970s. About 17 % of the secondaryschool -age population was listed, up from an around 7 % fifteen to twenty years earlier. Teacher-student ratios also improved, from 47:1 to 36:1 in the primary schools and from 26:1 to 25:1 in secondary schools. The increased attendance was all the more remarkable given the population's high %age of school-age children. Improvement in educational facilities was funded in 1993 by loans from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the African Development Bank. contempt the spread of education, adult literacy in 1993 has been around at no better than 50 %.

As elsewhere in Comoran society, political instability has taken a toll on the education system. Routinely announced reductions in force among the civil service, often made in response to international pressure for fiscal reform, sometimes result in teacher strikes. When civil service cutbacks result in canceled classes or examinations, students have at times taken to the streets in protest. Students have also protested, even violently, against government underfunding or general mismanagement of the schools--the World Bank stated in 1994 that the quality of education resulted in high rates of repetition and dropouts such that the average student needed fourteen years to complete the six-year primary cycle. Islamic schools are attended by many children, and state education is officially compulsory from the age of 7 to 16. Although 73 % of the primary school-age children attend school, only 24 % obtain a secondary education. Adult literacy was around to be 69 % in 2001. The state spends one-quarter of its income on education. With the exception of a lycée in Moroni, most education is of a low standard, and educational facilities are very poor.