Mozambique: Visually impaired still face limitations in accessing employment
Notícias (File photo)
Thousands of children will continue to study in the open for the foreseeable future, despite ongoing efforts to build more classrooms in the country.
The Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH) admits there are students studying under the trees in all provinces, with the exception of Maputo city, and recently told Notícias that there was not as yet any time horizon for all students moving into classrooms.
The lack of classrooms greatly affects teaching and learning, since it is weather-dependent, with classes suspended in inclement weather. Sortane justified the situation with the magnitude of the investment required for constructing and equipping a sufficient number of classrooms.
“We are allocating funds gradually to get children in out of the open. One day we will end this, but we still do not know for sure when,” she said.
In addition to the problem of lack of school infrastructure, the education and human development sector also faced the challenge of universalising education. Although the official age of entry into the first grade is six years, there are children who enter the system at seven, eight or even nine years of age, and some who do not even go to school.
This was one of the challenges that Minister Sortane highlighted at the opening of the MINEDH Coordinating Council which took place from the 9th to 11th of August in Maputo. Other concerns were the effective completion of primary education in a timely manner, high teacher-pupil ratios, and high dropout rates.
The sector is also faced with problems of teacher and student absenteeism, early pregnancy and marriage, the extending of children’s stay in education and the need to consolidate a model of teacher training corresponding more closely with the country’s goals.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.