By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Mozambique is facing a shortage of 12,000 primary and secondary school teachers, which has led to an increased workload for existing educators, forcing them to work overtime, the government spokesperson, the Minister for State Administration, Inocêncio Impissa, stated on Tuesday during a press conference in Maputo.
The excessive workload and the subsequent payment of overtime have been a source of tension between the government and teachers.
Last week, during exam periods, teachers from several schools boycotted the process, demanding long overdue overtime payments.
The newly appointed Minister of Education and Culture, Samaria Tovela, who took office on Tuesday, stated that she intends to engage in dialogue with teachers to solve the delays in overtime payments.
Despite the current situation, the government has guaranteed that the start of the school year, scheduled for the first week of February, remains on track.
In the last academic year, school textbooks only reached students in August, despite classes having started in February. However, the Minister of Education has guaranteed that this year, schoolbooks will be available both physically and digitally at the beginning of the academic year. (RD)
