Luanda — The Ministry of Education (MED) launched, Monday in Luanda, the training programme on renewable energy, aimed at promoting the use of alternative sources in the country, as well as including the curriculum of the above matter.

The launching of this programme, which will initially benefit MED technicians and the Managing Board of the seven High Agrarian Institutes of the country, is among the events marking the celebrations of the Global Week of Education for All that started on Monday.

According to deputy-minister of Education for vocational technical education, Narciso dos Santos, the country has recently been witnessing a sharp exploration of fossil fuels, with consequent pollution of the atmosphere and land degradation with adverse effects of climate and quality of life.

For this reason, he said, the so-called alternative sources earn a growing space by not harming t he environment and are renewable, their less cost implementation and easily adapted in communities, such as solar, wind and water energy.

The use of such sources is a solution to many social problems linked to the use of fossil fuels, the environmental degradation and improvement of living standard.

In this context, MED has been seeking, since 2007 in the light of reform of technical education training (Retep), provide their students and teachers with knowledge about renewable energy, whose project was launched this Monday.

For its implementation, the MED counts on the support of the Spanish Government, through the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation and technical assistance of the "San Valero da Saragoça" Foundation.

In this first step, focussed on training, diagnosis of the energy situation in each institute and installation and assembly of laboratories, the Spanish cooperation provided Euros 821,000, while the Angolan government contributes with USD 185,647.

The second stage foresees the development of a new area for training in renewable energy in the second cycle of secondary education of the subsystem of vocational technical education, with courses starting in solar, wind energy and maintenance.

The Education for All Week is celebrated in order to deepen the reflection on the need to make real and effective the right of everyone to a quality basic education.

To the Angolan government, said Narciso dos Santos, this commitment makes up priority and development programmes for primary and secondary education aimed, mainly, to meet the needs of quality the education demands for the expansion of the school network, in order to increase school coverage.

Angola currently has seven High Agrarian Institutes located in the provinces of Bié, Huambo, Kwanza Norte, Malanje, Huíla, Kwanza Sul and Uige.