Maputo — Mozambique's National Association of Teachers (ANAPRO) has claimed that the teachers' boycott of final exams in primary and secondary schools affected about 35,000 students across the country.
The teachers in the Mozambican National Education System have been demanding payment for overtime work that the government has owed them for three years.
According to an ANAPRO statement, as a result of the boycott, the admission of final-year students to university and vocational technical education is compromised "since many did not take their exams this year and others will only have their exams corrected during the holiday period.'
"There are currently more than 100 schools that have boycotted exams across the country, which consequently compromises the programmes for the 2025 school year. Meanwhile, we don't understand the government's position in announcing that overtime payments are being made', reads the note.
The document says that overtime is being paid only partially, sporadically and without clarity on the amounts of money involved.
"Of the schools involved in the boycott and the demands, there are around 2,000 teachers, many of whom have received overtime for 2023 partially, with serious deficiencies in the payment of overtime for 2022 as well. So far, no money has been disbursed for 2024', ANAPRO says.
The teachers believe that the procedure adopted by the government is generating more frustration, due to the discrepancies and lack of clarity about the amounts, as well as the fact that in some schools payments are being made to some teachers at the expense of others.
"The government is ignoring the events of the last few days and teachers will continue to enjoy their rights [to demonstrate]. However, the students and society must be informed in good time by the organization responsible for managing the national education system about the next steps', it says.
On the other hand, the association denounces the fact that some exams were carried out without the proper monitoring by teachers, others were supervised by administrative officials and still others by people invited by the district directorates.
In addition, there was violent intervention by the police during the process and abuse against the students in order to meet the targets (students sacrificed their free time, arriving at school at 07.00 to sit exams at 13.00 because of the demonstrations).
