1. Barriers to Education in Mozambique
Background Policy Implications
Current State of Education:
According to a 2015 report
conducted by the World Bank,
Mozambique’s national education is
in dire need of reform.
(Mozambique Service Delivery
Indicators, March 2015, World Bank)
-74% schools in the developed south
of the country had adequate school
supplies
-45% of teachers were not at school
during scheduled class times
-11% of teachers were at school but
were not present in their
classrooms.
-44% of Directors were not present
school days
-Teachers are twice as likely to not
attend if the Director is not present
-Students receive 1 hour and 41
minutes of teaching a day or 74
effective school days out of 190
Community Partner and Education Program:
Centro Social Nossa Senhora de Africa (Social Center Our Lady of Africa)
is an organization led by the Order of Conceptionist Sisters, a Catholic
order that operates primarily in Portuguese speaking countries,
providing social services to the communities in which they are located. In
July and August 2015, I worked in the town of Manjacaze and village of
Macasselane (Gaza Province, Mozambique). I assisted in establishing an
after-school program attached to the existing free lunch program, in
place since 2009. This program reaches approximately 350 children
grades from 1st to 7th grade, 6 to 16 years of age. Under the direction of
Dr. Cruz, my team member Yvonne Mulholland da Cruz and myself we
created academic, sports, and artistic activities to complement the
normal school day of the students. In addition, we led tutoring sessions
of 1 to 2 hours with children of several grades in math and literature.
Abstract:
Quality of public education in Mozambique varies from school to
school and particularly from urban to rural areas. My project aim,
to give a window into the reality of local schools in Manjacaze
and Macasselane. Key barriers to adequate primary education
included a lack of adequate education policies, teacher
absenteeism, poor quality of infrastructures and large size of
classes, as well as outdated teaching styles.
While setting up the academic component of the lunch program, deficits in the education system
became evident while working with the students:
Teacher Absenteeism:
• Sickness, transportation difficulties, and lack of staff. Teachers teach three to four sessions of class
each day, and there are no substitutes, so their absence is felt enormously.
Low Socioeconomic status:
• 25% of students do not have breakfast before class and another 35% did not have breakfast with
proteins. Students cannot be expected to perform competitively if they cannot nourish their bodies.
Lack of Education Foundations:
• World Bank found that only 18% of students could do double-digit addition and less than 10% of
students could read a paragraph in grade 4.
Following observations and conversations with community leaders it
was obvious to me that members of the community understand the
issues they are facing in education and know how to solve these
issues. Some policy implications from this study include:
Increased Dialogue with Teachers:
• Officials at higher levels of education policy need to listen to the
concerns of teachers to be more responsive to challenges
Reform of Current Legislation:
• By reforming legislation to make sure students do not move
forward without adequate academic performance, teachers may
be more incentivized to be present in school more regularly.
Increased training and resources:
• As of 2015 the average score on the national teacher assessment
(including pedagogy and mathematics) was 29% out of 100%
(World Bank). Teachers can also not be expected to instruct
students successfully if they themselves
are not properly taught.
Current status of the program:
Following a four week period of intensive work, Dr. Cruz, my team
member Yvonne, and myself were able to create a foundation of
exercises that engaged students in practicing skills of literature,
math, art and team work. With the fundraising efforts of Yvonne
and Dr. Cruz, the program was able to secure funding to pay two
tutors to continue the program for another year and a half, with
the Sisters providing oversight
Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank the Undergraduate Research Center for giving
me the opportunity to perform this research with the PINS grant. I
would like to thank my faculty advisor and team leader Dr. M.
Dores Cruz for the ability to contribute to this amazing project. I
would also like to thank Centro Social Nossa Senhora de Africa for
accepting me into their home and their community. Thank you to
my fellow team member Yvonne Mulholland da Cruz for her hard
work and dedication. Finally thank you to CCESL for helping me
construct my poster.
Example of a school satchel made
out of an old rice bag
Issues Observed through the Program
During my time in Mozambique, I focused my analysis on the teachers that taught in the rural
village of Macasselane. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak to several dedicated
Mozambican teachers about issues they face in their daily teaching. Some of the obstacles
teachers include:
Unreliable transportation
• Teachers had to commute from the larger town where most lived to the school (about 8 to
10 miles) and had to walk those distances due to lack of adequate public transportation. To
teach at school by 6:30 AM they had to leave 2 hours earlier.
Ratio of students to teachers:
• The ratio is of 1 teacher to 40 students thus it is almost impossible to engage students
actively in education.
Government regulations:
• Policy enacted in 2004 made it impossible for teachers to hold students back a grade even
if students were not prepared. This policy disincentives students to learn as they know they
will pass regardless of performance, which in turn also discourages teachers from
instructing their students meaningfully.
Lack of material:
• Students do not have access to school material (pens, pencils, notebooks); books are given
by the government, but often are kept in poor condition as students do not have simple
things such as school bags.
Outdated methods of teaching:
• Teaching is based on recitation and requires little student engagement
Issues Discussed with Teachers