Mozambique: Overcrowding in classrooms needs to be addressed – Ngomane

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Mozambique: Overcrowding in classrooms needs to be addressed – Ngomane

1:17 CAT | 30 Jul 2024

Photo: O País

Classroom overcrowding results from failure to use demographic projections in educational planning

Academician Nataniel Ngomane says that classroom overcrowding in the country, usually associated with a lack of teachers, is due to planning failures over the years. He warns of the dangers facing the educational process and argues that the national education system should be rethought.

The problem of classroom overcrowding is not new, and is getting worse by the year. Reacting to the fact that there are classes of more than 100 students, university professor Nataniel Ngomane argues that the solution lies in planning.

“We have around 32 million inhabitants, and it is possible to predict population growth, at least approximately. By association, one can predict needs and associate them with planning. Perhaps we have lost the possibility or the notion of the importance of a precise plan that projects future activities,” the academic explains

Overcrowding, Ngomane stresses, has negative consequences that result in poor pedagogical performance.

“Students hardly pay attention. In fact, they are more likely to get distracted, even when talking to each other. Perhaps they hear the teacher’s voice poorly. So the number of students in classrooms must be reduced,” he says.

But how can we reduce the number of students per class if there is a shortage of teachers?

“We have to get our hands dirty. We cannot wait for donations to pay teachers. We will make projections for the growth of our population, see how many schools are needed based on its development, particularly the school population, and what amounts will be needed. We will plan this in advance and we must get directly involved,” Ngomane explains.

“We must create technical offices to think only about these issues and try to provide answers through concrete proposals on this matter,” he adds.

For Ngomane, it is not enough for quality education to be the government’s priority only in writing. Strategies for implementation must also be brought forward.

Source: O País