Mozambique: President meets rectors of public universities

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Mozambique: President meets rectors of public universities

2:02 CAT | 05 May 2020

Photo: O País

President Nyusi wants the contribution of Mozambican academia in combating Covid-19, which until now stands at 80 confirmed cases across the country, of which 19 have recovered, with no deaths.

With Covid-19 besetting the scientific and academic community around the world, Mozambican academia is also called upon to make its contribution against this invisible enemy.

The President Nyusi therefore summoned on Monday the rectors of the five universities resulting from the break-up of the former Pedagogical University (UP) to ascertain what contribution these academic institutions intended making to the fight against the coronavirus.

“In your capacity as an academy, a Mozambican academy, what can be the contribution in this specific case, at this moment for the mitigation of COVID-19, what can be the contribution? Because we have to proceed on all fronts, all fronts to see if we also face this problem, in the short, medium and long term,” he said.

“We have to think far, we have to have the vision, and the vision is more of the academy. What they think of the future, not only of the immediate future. The immediate, yes, it has to be done, but to give the time and space for the future,” the head of state told the rectors and assembled members of government, including the ministers of Economy and Finance, Education and Human Development, Science and Technology, Higher and Technical Vocational Education.

The meeting between Filipe Nyusi and the five higher education institutions takes place one year and four months after the Council of Ministers’ decision on the Pedagogical university (UP).

The president also sought to evaluate the current state of the new UP family, whose inception was intended to ensure both better productivity and quality.

“So I want to hear from you, the meeting is not very long, but it will have to be productive, what has changed, what could change more, what should we correct and what should we capitalise on,” the president asked.

The government was also available to listen to different advice concerning the country’s socioeconomic development, taking into account factors such as climate change, the country’s security situation, the behaviour of the global economy and even the Covid-19 pandemic, the president concluded.

After the meeting in the office of the President of the Republic on Monday, others with public and private universities followed.

By Amândio Borges

Source: O País