Mozambique: "Terrorists are dancing as they please" - activist
School in Nampula. [Photo: O País]
Millions of children are returning to schools in Mozambique, after a year in which the schools were closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than eight million children will be attending school, from first to 12th grade, and about two million of them will be entering school for the first time.
Pupils will find that the learning experience has changed radically, since classes can no longer contain large numbers of pupils. In the past primary school classes frequently contained 60 or more pupils. But the spokesperson for the Education Ministry, Gina Mabunda, cited in Monday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”, said the number of pupils in any classroom must not exceed 25, in order to maintain the social distancing necessary to fight Covid-19.
This means that what used to be one class must now be split into two or three. Overcrowding will thus become a thing of the past – but this has major implications for the workload of teachers and for the physical space in schools.
Guibunda said that schools could now be obliged to hold classes on Saturdays. In this case, teachers might have to be offered overtime payments, but Guibunda said no decision has yet been taken on this.
Entire subjects have been dropped from the curriculum. This year, primary schools will not teach physical education, music or English. Dropped from the secondary education are vocational subjects such as business studies, agriculture and livestock, tourism, and information and communication technologies.
The school day has been shortened by half an hour, from a maximum of five hours teaching time a day to four and a half.
Guibunda admitted that an unspecified number of schools will not be able to resume classes on Monday, because they still do not have adequate washing and sanitation facilities. Regular washing of hands is a basic measure to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and so schools without an appropriate water supply cannot re-open.
Guibunda stressed that measures are being taken to ensure that all schools can overcome such problems. 30 per cent of the budget of each school is earmarked for improving water and sanitation conditions.
The 2021 school year has been divided into three terms, each of 12 weeks. The first term began this Monday and runs until 11 June. There is then an interruption of a week, and the second tem runs from 21 June to 3 September. The final term starts on 13 September and ends on 19 November.
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