In an epoch of increasing globalization and rapid social change, the political leaders of both developed and developing countries are confronted with the challenges of maintaining and improving their systems of formal education. The leaders of Madagascar, a remote island country and developing nation, have faced the challenges of leading a French colony to independence, while confronted with educational resource shortages and low population density (Glick & Sahn, 2006). The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic case study was to determine, using an interview process, what various stakeholders in the Malagasy public education system perceive to be the educational goals of the system and why they believe the system is ineffective in achieving those goals. Fifteen Malagasy stakeholders, across five different stakeholder groups, were interviewed. Ten recurrent themes became apparent during data analysis. There was general agreement that Madagascar needs government stability and a government with the political will to improve education. The following themes were noted across the five stakeholder groups: (a) the Malagasy public education system needs to be decentralized through a radical increase in stakeholder participation, (b) curriculum, materials, and assessments must be aligned to the language of instruction, (c) there should be adequate teacher training and ongoing professional development, (d) and finally, there must be accountability throughout the entire system. Visioning, planning, and implementation of necessary changes in the public education system in Madagascar will only be possible in the face of perhaps radical changes to the political and cultural structure of the country. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]