Morre a Tribo e nasce a Nação? Política, Administração e História do Ensino Primário em Moçambique

Abstract

This research deals with the general policy, administration and history of Primary Education (EP) in Mozambique. The main factor that drives the research is that this level is considered basic and accessible to all. For this purpose, the country so determined legally and joined the movement as the Jomtien Declaration (1990), the Declaration of Salamanca (1994) and the Dakar Framework for Action (2000) committing to meet the basic needs of learning. The problem of this study is that despite the expansion of the PE, following the actions of Education for All (EFA), the coverage of the school system and the appropriate income show that universal primary education is hard to reach. So, through this work I determine to what extent political, economic and social factors delineate or regulate the policy and administration of PE standards. The aim was to analyze the general policy of the PE priorities of access, expansion, equity, quality and relevance, from the first PE creation initiatives in the pre-colonial period. Research sources used were: legislation, education statistics, educational contents from Tempo Magazine and interviews. The main findings show that cyclical factors have influenced to a large extent, the policy and administration of the PE, by forcing the review of the principles and objectives of the systems, as of amendments to legislation and changing planning and administration models. The statistical analysis shows an increase in access and a gradual trend to reduce repetition rates and dropout. Still, like the pre-colonial and colonial periods, large numbers of the school-age population is still without access to school, making it difficult to reach an effective EFA, although the compulsory PE has been legally established from the century XIX. On the one hand, the free and compulsory PE between 1983 and 1992 the time of centralized management contributed in increasing access, resulting in reducing the illiteracy rate; on the other, the compulsory PE is continuity from the late nineteenth century, the implementation of which has not depended on the gratuity. Other findings show that between 1993 and 2003 when the decentralized administration, although no reference to the compulsory and free PE, this level has also experienced significant growth. However, both the post-independence periods were marked by the decline of teaching quality, characterized by the deterioration of conditions in deriving the lessons and curriculum social irrelevance. The analysis of the legislation shows the political will of colonial and Mozambique States become PE accessible to all. However, models and management practices contribute to the definition and implementation of compulsory and free PE, which in turn influences access to basic school. From 1983 to 2003, the social criticism of the quality and relevance of the PE, found in Tempo Magazine, the NPE and ESP, focuses on the one hand, the unfavorable conditions in which classes have elapsed; secondly, the inadequacy and irrelevance of content to real local needs