Algemado. Foto de Carlos Júnior
Maputo, 30 Jun (AIM) – Mozambican authorities have arrested seven teachers for alleged involvement in the sale of drugs at public schools, in the northern province of Nampula.
According to Eduardo Abdula, governor of Nampula province, speaking on Monday at the second Provincial Education Planning Meeting (2025-2029), the teachers were arrested over the course of this year as part of a Provincial Crackdown on Drug Production, Trafficking, and Abuse.
“School managers must redouble their efforts in identifying and holding accountable any staff members involved in illicit activities, there will be no truce for wrongdoers. The involvement of teachers in drug trafficking is shameful and unacceptable”, he said.
Recently, the governor denounced that he is being victim of death threats carried out by drug traffickers, after he promised to pursue the criminals and hold them accountable for their actions.
The governor also called on the population to avoid being involved in drug trafficking “because criminals have the capacity to exploit us.” “We must advise our children who take drugs and tell them that they are being exploited by crooks and criminals”, he said.
Schools, the governor said, must remain spaces of knowledge, discipline, and future opportunities, “rather than venues for vice and crime. Those who use educational spaces to destroy children’s lives will not be tolerated.”
Abdula called on the Provincial Education Service, district directors, and local communities to actively monitor, protect, and report any suspicious activities within school environments.
“In order to curb the spread of drugs in educational facilities, the provincial government has initiated the deployment of police officers to several schools”, he said.
For his part, the Provincial Director of Education in Nampula, Williamo Tunzine, said that criminal and disciplinary proceedings are already underway against the detained teachers, which are expected to culminate in their official dismissal from the public service.
He reiterated that the sector is working closely with local authorities to completely eradicate drug sales and consumption from schools.
Beyond the security issues, Abdula acknowledged that the province’s education sector still faces significant logistical hurdles, as “many children continue to walk long distances to attend school and study under precarious conditions due to persistent shortages of infrastructure, school furniture, learning equipment, and human resources.”
(AIM)
FG/ZT/Am/
