Maputo — About five million Mozambican minors are outside the formal education system, although the country's Ministry of Education has been implementing mechanisms to address school dropouts.
The data is part of a research conducted by two Mozambican prominent NGOs, the Education for All Movement (MEPT) and Institute for Social and Economic Studies (IESE).
According to Isabel da Silva, MEPT Executive Coordinator - citing the resource, which was presented together with an action plan for student retention into the education system - the situation is particularly concerning for girls who become pregnant during their school years.
"There had previously been a ministerial directive preventing the automatic transfer of pregnant students to night school, but that directive was subsequently revoked. Although the Ministry of Education has mechanisms in place to address school dropouts, gaps in implementation persist, particularly regarding the retention and reintegration of children and adolescents who leave school", he said.
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Da Silva lamented the fact that "at the moment, there is neither a strategy nor a specific legal instrument to allow for the reintegration of a girl who has dropped out of school due to pregnancy."
According to the coordinator, the country needs urgently a joint strategy involving the government, communities, school councils and non-government partners. "The joint strategy should present concrete measures to prevent more children from dropping out of school."
Many children excluded from the education system, she said, end up involved in activities such as artisanal mining, informal trade, and early marriage, factors that compromise their development and limit future opportunities.
For his part, Euclides Gonçalves, IESE Executive Director, production of evidence is crucial for the improvement of public policies. Our experience shows that formulating public policies requires a continuous process of knowledge production. We will continue to conduct this and other research to support that work," he said.
Arlinda Chaquisse, National Director of Schools and Cross-Cutting Issues at the Ministry of Education, acknowledged that school dropout among girls remains related to structural factors such as poverty, family economic vulnerability, early pregnancy, early unions, gender-based violence, and the long distances students must travel to reach school.
"The Constitution, the Penal Code, and the Law on the Prevention and Combating of Early Marriage serve as fundamental legal instruments for the protection of children and adolescents, including the prevention of gender-based violence", she added.
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