Maputo — Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi encouraged, on Monday, in Maputo, the new vice-chancellors and deputy vice-chancellors of four higher education institutions, who were being sworn into office, to work harder in order to improve and ensure the quality of higher education.
"One of the biggest challenges facing higher education is to guarantee quality and efficiency', the President said.
The newly appointed vice-chancellors are Mário dos Santos, who will lead the University of Rovuma (UniRovuma), Boaventura Aleixo, vice-chancellor of the University of Licungo (UniLicungo), Emília Afonso, vice-chancellor of the University of Púnguè (UniPúnguè), and Catarina Nhampossa, vice-chancellor of the University of Save (UniSave).
According to Nyusi, "we want quality, socially relevant higher education in our country that meets the needs of the national public administration, the productive sector and society in general. The government also wants higher education to be aligned with regional, continental and global dynamics and commitments'.
The government, he said, wants to see universities promoting education, science and technology transfer and contributing to raising the quality of life of Mozambicans.
The development in question includes promotion of the country's development by training human capital with proactive citizens who possess a "culture of work, solidarity, patriotism, peace and national unity.'
The new chancellor of UniSave, Catarina Nhampossa, pointed to the availability of funds to run the universities as a major challenge.
"The major challenge is the question of funds, but then we have other challenges as mentioned by the president, including the question of quality, which presupposes good laboratories, human resources and infrastructure', she said.
The vice-chancellors and their deputies took office after internal elections in their universities. The four higher education institutions are the result of decentralization that took place in 2019, through which the universities that were formerly part of the Pedagogical University (UP) became autonomous.
