Higher Education in Mozambique: 28 institutions at risk of closing doors, warns Minister

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Higher Education in Mozambique: 28 institutions at risk of closing doors, warns Minister

11:27 CAT | 06 Feb 2018

O País

All universities and higher institutes failing to function according to the law by October this year could be forced to close their doors, according to a warning issued yesterday by the Minister of Science, Technology, Higher Education and Technical Professional Training.

According to Jorge Nhambiu, there are 28 higher education institutions that are not fit to operate, and are therefore prohibited from enrolling new students this academic year.

Minister Nhambiu made the remarks yesterday in Maputo at the opening of Mozambique’s first Summer University, an event that runs until Friday and brings together more than 100 participants from public and private universities.

The Higher Education Inspection was launched in 2015. At the time, the ministry urged universities, institutes and colleges to comply with Decree 48/2010, which approves the Regulation of Licensing and Operation of Higher Education Institutions.

As early as 2016, two notices were issued to educational institutions, warning them of the consequences of failing to comply with the law.

“From that moment on, universities had to ask for permits, and before issuing them, we had to do the inspection,” Minister Nhambiu explained.

He added that if the institutions do not show improvement by the deadline, the ministry would propose their closure to the Council of Ministers, which is responsible for creating and closing universities and colleges.

Mozambique currently has 52 institutions of higher education, operating through 130 delegations across the country.

Nhambiu said the inspections were there to ensure the courses presented by the universities at the time they were created were still being implemented.

“Whoever asks for authorisation to create a university must submit a draft to the Council of Ministers, which either approves or rejects it. What happens is that the institution no longer complies with the draft that it presented in practice,” he said.

In addition to monitoring the functional issues of universities, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Higher Education and Technical Professional Training intends to exercise control of academic staff, since higher education institutions are obliged to have a minimum number of teachers so that they can teach properly.

“We set a minimum number of teachers for a university institution to employ, but some schools do not have that minimum number,” Nhambiu said.

Through lectures and practical workshops, the Summer University aims to consolidate university students’ knowledge in the areas of entrepreneurship, agriculture and extractive industries.

The teaching of moral principles and work and entrepreneurship values to young people and their occupation in useful activities are among the added value the Summer University offers participants, Nhambiu said.

Source: Notícias