Maputo, 9 Mar (AIM) – Adriano Nuvunga, chairperson of the prominent NGO, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has accused the Mozambican government of diverting attention from the structural problems affecting the country’s education system by proposing a restructuring of public universities.
In a letter addressed to the Education Ministry, Nuvunga claims that the government’s “Conceptual Note on the Restructuring of Public Universities” lacks a rigorous and empirically supported diagnosis and “limits itself to mentioning problems such as institutional fragmentation and administrative duplication, without presenting concrete data that would allow for an assessment of the real scale of these issues.”
The government’s proposal is also aimed at merging the existing universities in each province, giving rise to a single provincial university, which would function as the headquarters and central management structure.
“The initiative will reduce operational costs and make resource management more efficient, encompassing financial, asset, human, and academic components. The measure is part of a broader strategy to rationalize and optimize the functioning of public higher education institutions in the country”, according to Education Minister Samaria Tovela.
Nuvunga’s letter says that the intention to improve institutional efficiency and optimize the use of public resources is legitimate, but structural reforms of this nature “require a solid analytical basis, consistent empirical evidence, and a clear strategic vision for the higher education system.”
“What worries me is the fact that the Ministry of Education is focused on universities, while the basic education system (primary and secondary education) is in decline. Schools face serious problems, including overcrowded classrooms, shortages of teachers and books, and delays in the payment of teachers’ wages. Our schools also lack desks, and some students attend classes under trees. These problems are related to the corruption that plagues the sector”, reads the document.
The proposal to concentrate public universities at the provincial level “appears as a simplistic administrative solution to challenges that are not properly identified in the official document”, reads Nuvunga’s letter.
(AIM)
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