Reform on Technical and Professional to cost US$500m

The Mozambican Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher and Professional Education is seeking to raise US$500 million to build, rehabilitate, expand and equip 39 institutions of technical and professional education throughout the country.The Minister, Jorge Nhambiu, announced this figure on Wednesday when he addressed a meeting with the partners of his ministry at the Science and Technology Park in Maluana, in Manhica district, about 80 kilometres north of Maputo.With this initiative, he said, the government hopes to raise the number of students in technical and professional education from the current figure of 67,000 to about 85,000 in 2019.At the one day meeting, the Ministry is sharing with its cooperation partners the vision and priorities of the sector in the light of the government’s Five Year Programme for the period 2015-2019.“In the area of the development of human and social capital, we have the commitment to train 1,144 teachers of professional and technical education by 2019”, said Nhambiu. 

“A further challenge is the allocation of about 1,000 scholarships for Mozambican researchers, and the capacity building of 2,600 higher education teachers”.In the area of Information and Communication Technologies, Nhambiu said the main challenges are to establish 25 Community Multi-media Centres in various parts of the country, and to ensure the expansion of Internet access to 56 districts.To ensure efficiency, effectiveness and speed in attending to the public, Nhambiu said that courses will be held to boost the capacity of 118,000 state officials and agents throughout the country.“The common purpose of these initiatives is to prepare human resources, though establishing and making operational scientific, technological and cultural infrastructures and products to support economic and social growth, and to contribute to the well-being of society”, he added.In the area of scientific research, said Nhambiu, the challenge lies in creating and accrediting Mozambican institutions of research and technological innovation, and m undertaking a survey of the national scientific potential.“In this field we expect to finance about 200 research projects and publish about 500 scientific works”, he said.The training programmes, Nhambiu added, are intended to guarantee the existence of versatile and high quality Mozambican cadres who can respond to the challenges and needs of the market, and have the skills and capacity required for self-employment.