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Education in Mozambique
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The Republic of Mozambique is situated in the south eastern part of Africa and covers an area of 799 380 square kilometres. The country was a Portuguese colony from the fifteenth century until it attained political independence in 1975 after 10 years of a bitter armed struggle. Peace was interrupted once again during the early 1980s when the country experienced a civil war which caused the loss of many lives and left in its wake a trail of destruction. As a result, a lot of infrastructure had to be rebuilt. Peace finally returned to Mozambique in 1992 and since then, the country has undergone rapid socio-economic development.
The country is divided into 11 provinces namely Cabo Delgado, Niassa, Nampula, Tete, Zambézia, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo Province and Maputo City.
The capital, Maputo City, comprises about 6.1 percent of the total population of Mozambique. According to the 1997 census 52.1 percent of the population were female. The population density was about 20.1 inhabitants per square kilometre. The gross illiteracy rate was 46.9 percent, and the overall illiteracy rate among the female population was 60.7 percent.
Demographics*:
Total population: |
20 971 446 (2006) |
Annual population growth: |
1.9% (2005) |
Rural population: |
65.5% (2005) |
*latest data as of March 2009 from UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Minister of Education & Culture: Hon. Aires Bonifacio ALI
Education System:
The National System of Education (SNE) was introduced in 1983. It is the first system designed by Mozambicans themselves after independence. Before 1975, Mozambique’s education system consisted of missionary schools, public schools and private schools. The missionary schools catered for the “natives”, mainly in the rural areas. The public schools catered for the Portuguese and the “assimilados”. These were located mainly in the urban areas. The private schools (mostly church owned) were mainly for the well off Portuguese and “assimilados”. One of the characteristics of the pre-independence education system was that it was very selective and this has been retained by the post-independence education system.
The SNE comprises five sub-systems, namely General Education, Adult Education, Technical/Vocational Education, Teacher Training and Higher Education. The education system is organised into three levels, namely, primary, secondary and higher education.
Pre-primary education
Pre-school education is provided in the crèches and kindergartens, usually under the Ministry of Health or private institutions. This education is not compulsory and is beyond the means of the majority of Mozambican citizens. As a result, only a small percentage of the target age group participates in formal pre-school education.
Primary education
In Mozambique primary education is free and compulsory. It is subdivided into two levels, namely, the lower primary which consists of five years of schooling (Grades 1 to 5) and upper primary which comprises two years (Grades 6 and 7). The official age of entry into school is 6 years. Usually, primary schools operate in two shifts. Because of the shortage of school places at this level, some primary schools operate three shifts. After seven years of primary education the pupils have a choice of enrolling for general secondary education, lower primary teacher training colleges, basic technical and vocational schools or secondary education for adults.
Secondary education
General secondary education is divided into two stages. The first stage, junior secondary, comprises three years (Grades 8 to 10). The second stage, senior secondary (also known as pre-university) comprises two years (Grades 11 and 12). Both levels of education are offered on the same premises.
Higher education
Public and private universities, higher institutes, and schools of higher education and academies provide higher education to those who have completed Grade 12. As a result of the stiff competition for limited places at this level, all pupils have to sit for an entry examination.
Management and Administration of Education
In Mozambique, the Ministry of Education headquarters assumes overall responsibility for the administration of all education institutions in the country. The Minister of Education, the Vice-Minister and the Permanent Secretary, sit at the apex of the Ministry.
The Ministry comprises 10 national directorates namely,
- The National Directorate for Finance and Administration,
- The National Directorate for Basic Education,
- The National Directorate for Technical and Vocational Education,
- The National Directorate for Secondary Education,
- The National Directorate for Adult Education,
- The National Directorate for Human Resources Development,
- The National Directorate for Teacher Training,
- The National Directorate for Pedagogic Support Resources,
- The Inspectorate, and
- The National Directorate for Planning.
There is a Provincial Directorate of Education for each of the 11 provinces, and this directorate falls under the command of a Provincial Director. Below the Provincial Directorate there is the District Directorate headed by a District Director. There are 146 districts in Mozambique. Below the District Directorate there is the school which is headed by a School Director.
Curriculum development for general education (primary, secondary and pre-university) and teacher training (basic and intermediate) is carried out by the National Institute for Educational Development (INDE).
In 2000, the Ministry of Education initiated the process of decentralising curriculum development and monitoring. This system allows 20 percent of the national curriculum for basic education to be the “local curriculum”, implying that this portion of the curriculum was to be developed locally. This is one of the major innovations of the “Basic Education Curriculum Transformation in Mozambique” It is expected that the “local curriculum” will provide for the specific learning needs of the learners.
Duration of compulsory education: 7 years
Starting age of compulsory education: 6 years
Ending age of compulsory education: 12 years
Enrolment in 2006*
Female |
Male |
Total |
||
Primary |
Gross enrolment rate | 96.9 |
112.6 |
104.8 |
| Net enrolment rate | 73.1 |
79.0 |
76.0 |
|
Secondary |
Gross enrolment rate | 12.9 |
18.1 |
15.5 |
| Net enrolment rate | 4.0 |
4.4 |
4.2 |
|
Pupil - Teacher Ratios in 2006*
- Primary: 67.4 pupils per teacher
- Secondary: 35.7 pupils per teacher
*latest data as of March 2009 from UNESCO Institute for Statistics
See the SACMEQ reports for more information.
Mozambique - Reading and Math Achievement Levels
SACMEQ II (2000) Reading achievement
- Percentage of Grade 6 pupils at each level:
| Level 1 | Pre Reading | 2.3 % |
| Level 2 | Emergent Reading | 3.9 % |
| Level 3 | Basic Reading | 11.2 % |
| Level 4 | Reading for Meaning | 28.8 % |
| Level 5 | Interpretive Reading | 32.7 % |
| Level 6 | Inferential Reading | 16.1 % |
| Level 7 | Analytical Reading | 5.0 % |
| Level 8 | Critical Reading | 0.1 % |
SACMEQ II (2000) Math achievement
- Percentage of Grade 6 pupils at each level:
| Level 1 | Pre Numeracy | 0.4 % |
| Level 2 | Emergent Numeracy | 12.6 % |
| Level 3 | Basic Numeracy | 41.7 % |
| Level 4 | Beginning Numeracy | 32.1 % |
| Level 5 | Competent Numeracy | 11.4 % |
| Level 6 | Mathematically Skilled | 1.7 % |
| Level 7 | Concrete Problem Solving | 0.1 % |
| Level 8 | Abstract Problem Solving | 0.0 % |
For more country statistics, see also:
- StatPlanet - Explore data through Maps and Graphs
PUPIL
PERFORMANCE ON ALL ITEMS |
||||
SACMEQ II |
READING |
MATHEMATICS |
||
| REGION | MEAN |
SE |
MEAN |
SE |
| CABO DELGADO | 459.9 |
8.18 |
497.9 |
6.29 |
| GAZA | 504.0 |
12.02 |
525.7 |
7.66 |
| INHAMBANE | 507.8 |
7.40 |
540.9 |
11.85 |
| MAPUTO CITY | 549.1 |
5.46 |
546.5 |
3.64 |
| MANICA | 511.5 |
7.00 |
543.4 |
6.30 |
| MAPUTO PROVINCE | 529.6 |
7.66 |
534.7 |
7.05 |
| NAMPULA | 533.8 |
5.78 |
539.2 |
4.85 |
| NIASSA | 453.8 |
6.12 |
488.2 |
3.95 |
| SOFALA | 512.9 |
5.28 |
522.5 |
4.83 |
| TETE | 488.1 |
6.77 |
510.7 |
4.86 |
| ZAMBESIA | 513.8 |
5.97 |
516.7 |
5.92 |
| MOZAMBIQUE | 516.7 |
2.29 |
530.0 |
2.08 |
| SUB-GROUPS | READING |
MATHEMATICS |
||
MEAN |
SE |
MEAN |
SE |
|
| GENDER | ||||
| BOYS | 518.4 |
2.59 |
537.0 |
2.09 |
| GIRLS | 514.1 |
2.60 |
519.5 |
2.80 |
| SOCIO- ECONOMIC LEVEL |
||||
| LOW SES | 510.5 |
2.77 |
527.5 |
2.25 |
| HIGH SES | 523.0 |
2.68 |
532.6 |
2.66 |
| SCHOOL LOCATION | ||||
| ISOLATED/RURAL | 502.3 |
5.93 |
524.0 |
6.32 |
| SMALL TOWN | 510.5 |
3.73 |
527.5 |
2.70 |
| LARGE CITY | 533.3 |
4.22 |
536.7 |
3.26 |
| MOZAMBIQUE | 516.7 |
2.29 |
530.0 |
2.08 |
- SACMEQ II Report:
Year |
Authors |
Title |
2005 |
Passos, A., Nahara, T., Magaia, F., & Lauchande, C. |
The SACMEQ II Project in Mozambique: A Study of the Conditions of Schooling and the Quality of Education. Harare: SACMEQ. |
Year |
Author(s) |
Title |
2009 |
Ana Filipe José Passos |
A Comparative Analysis Of Teacher Competence And Its Effect On Pupil Performance In Upper Primary Schools In Mozambique And Other Sacmeq Countries, Doctoral Thesis, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Download Appendices. |
2007 |
Fernando Jorge Castanheira Bilale |
Educational Performance In Mozambique: An Economic Perspective, Master's Thesis, University Of Stellenbosch, South Africa. |
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