10 October 2008
Maputo — The Mozambican government has been trying to improve the living and working conditions of its teachers, but everything depends on improving the overall economic situation of the country, according to Education Minister Aires Aly.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, after he met with a delegation from the National Teachers Union (ONP), on the occasion of Mozambican Teachers' Day (which falls on Sunday), Aly said the problems faced by teachers are characteristic of the economic difficulties of the country.
"We are solving the teachers' problems gradually", said Aly. The building of houses for teachers, and improving their wages were among the key priorities. He was confident that teachers' wages would improve when a new wage policy for the public administration, approved recently by the government, takes effect.
Aly said the government is also concerned with speeding up the formal appointment of teachers to posts inn the state system, and their promotion and progress along the career structure. Decisions in this area have now been decentralized to provincial and district governments.
ONP general secretary Alipio Siquice told the reporters that he welcomed the government's efforts to improve teachers' conditions. "Teachers' wages are now paid regularly", he said. "There are no longer any cases of theft or diversion of teachers' wages, which used to happen. Promotions are now quicker, with the matter handled at provincial and district level".
Aly told the ONP delegation that the government hopes to cut class sizes significantly over the coming few years. Currently there are 72 pupils for every teacher in primary education, but Aly said the ratio should fall to 68 to one in 2009, and to 54 to one by 2015.
"Reducing the pupil/teacher ratio is a lengthy process", said the Minister, admitting that large class size is a factor in the poor quality of education. He stressed that this was not the fault of the teachers.
"We never considered teachers as the main guilty parties for the poor quality of education", he said.
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