| Education System in Mozambique |
Education is compulsory in Mozambique for the introductory seven years of it, although an alarming number of children to not even get this far. Following a period spent in pre-primary crèche which is optional, they may spend 2 years at jardin infantil followed by another 5 at primary school, which completes the compulsory period.
By the time that the first phase of secondary education is reached that will last for a further 3 years, facilities are already thin on the ground especially in rural areas. Students are already 14 years old when they reach this stage, and many would prefer to be at work and earning money.
Less than 7% of potentially eligible young Mozambicans attend the final two years of secondary school, of which there are only 82 in a vast country. If they do, then they will follow a general curriculum which may not be relevant for the life that lies before them.
Efforts are being made to integrate what already exists of formalized vocational training, into the government’s poverty reduction action plan. Its current focus on providing food for people means that vocational training in rural areas will remain agriculturally focused, at least for the immediate future.
Higher education continues to reach only a tiny, disproportionately male sector of the wealthier population, with facilities clustered in the few major urban areas.
The senior institution is Eduardo Mondlane University established in 1962 in colonial days and based in Maputo. Its faculties include Agronomy and Forest Engineering, Architecture and Physical Planning, Arts, Economics, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, Social Sciences, and Veterinary Science. Some days hopefully these opportunities will be open to all the people.
