Jorge Ferrão, former Minister of Education and current rector of the Universidade Pedagógica de Maputo (UP Maputo), on Wednesday called for the adoption of education policies tailored to the specific realities of each region of Mozambique, arguing that differences between provinces, districts and social groups require differentiated responses to improve the performance of the national education system and prepare the country for the challenges of the coming decades.
Ferrão made his case during the panel session ‘Prospective and Strategic Positioning: 2026–2050’, held as part of the International Conference on Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Mozambique, where he focused his remarks on the urgent need to transform the national education system.
Reflecting on the role of education in building Mozambique towards 2050, Ferrão recalled a key finding from reports by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which noted that the majority of the 21st-century workforce will be trained in African schools, and that the quality of education delivered on the continent will have profound effects on the global economy, social cohesion and shared prosperity.
From that premise, he drew attention to the deterioration of learning indicators in Mozambique. Citing data from SACMEQ, Ferrão noted that the proportion of Grade 6 pupils achieving an acceptable level of proficiency in the Portuguese language fell from 62.7% in 2013 to just 16% in 2023. In Mathematics, he added, only 8.4% of pupils demonstrated minimum numeracy competencies, while more than 90% fell below that threshold.
For Ferrão, these figures seriously undermine the country’s capacity to meet its development challenges. ‘Without mastering language and without mastering arithmetic, we naturally cannot plan any major undertaking in this country — whether small, medium or large enterprises — because we will not have the capacity to operate and operationalise those businesses,’ he said.
The academic also argued that teacher and pupil absenteeism remains one of the principal factors behind the weak performance of the education system. He noted significant disparities between regions of the country, which demonstrate that ‘these education policies cannot continue to be made with a one-size-fits-all shoe,’ advocating differentiated responses based on provinces, districts and distinct social groups.
‘I am left with the feeling that we continue to think about Mozambique from Maputo. We concentrate too much intelligence in a single centre and listen far too little to the voices of the periphery.’ — Jorge Ferrão, Rector of UP Maputo
During his address, Ferrão also issued a direct challenge to the Ministry of Planning and Development, proposing a new national compact that places data and scientific evidence at the heart of public decision-making. ‘Street opinion can do more to hinder than to help planning,’ he said, arguing that indicators produced by national and international institutions must move beyond occasional reporting and instead permanently guide the definition of public policy.
The former government minister also expressed concern over excessive centralisation of decision-making, contending that the country continues to be conceived primarily from its capital. He noted that the North, Centre and South face distinct challenges and require solutions adapted to their respective realities.
In the closing remarks of his intervention, Ferrão called for education to once again assume a central role in the national development strategy, maintaining that the country’s future depends on its ability to produce citizens equipped to build a modern and competitive economy. ‘When a people learns, it stops waiting for the future and starts building the future,’ he concluded.
The International Conference on Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Mozambique brought together economists, academics, public decision-makers and development partners in Maputo to debate the principal challenges of the country’s economic transformation.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/07/09/economia/desenvolvimento/__trashed-234/
