Maputo — The Mozambican government, through the central bank, the Bank of Mozambique, signed on Monday a contract with the German government, through the Development Bank (KFW) in terms of which the later is to grant five million Euros (about seven million US dollars) for the building of new schools and purchase of the necessary furniture in southern Inhambane, and central Manica and Tete provinces in 2008.

The document was signed between the governor of the Bank of Mozambique, Ernesto Gove, and his KFW counterpart, Carsten Sandhop.

This programme is being implemented in the context of Financial cooperation between the two governments to help reduce the levels of absolute poverty in Mozambique.

This is part of the second phase of an Education and Culture Ministry's programme to build schools, following a 'successful completion' of the first phase as Sandhop described it.

He said that it was because Mozambique implemented successfully the first phase of the programme that the German government decided to grant more funds to meet the targets established by the ministry, which is to build more schools and improve the quality of education.

For his part, Gove said that the area of human resources is particularly important for the country because the challenges to eradicate absolute poverty may only be met with qualified staff, who can interpret the social and economic growth.

Education and Culture director of Construction Carlos Chissano told reporters of the daily 'Noticias' that the money will be used to build 180 classrooms and houses for the teachers. By the end of this year, this institution is hoping to have built more than 1,400 classrooms and a number of other infrastructures.

He said that next year, the Education Ministry will build or rehabilitate 14 secondary schools in southern Gaza, central Sofala, Tete, and Zambezia, and northern Nampula, Cabo Delgado, and Niassa provinces, and also three polytechnic Instiututes in Gaza, Manica and Tete. For these works, the ministry also counts on funding from the African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank.

Chissano added that the secondary schools of Massinga, in Inhambane, Xai-Xai, in Gaza, Ilha de Mocambique, in Nampula, and Espungabera, in Manica, have been built or rehabilitated. Other completed works include the teachers training institutes of Namaacha, in Maputo, and Inhaminga, in Sofala, and the 7 de Setembro Commercial and Industrial School, in xai-Xai. Works are still going on in the teachers training institutes of Munhuana, in the Maputo city, and Homoine, in Inhambane, and also at the Ulongue secondary school, in the western Tete province.