Authorities in Maputo announced on Friday (15) the rescheduling of assessments for 1,345 students who missed their exams on Thursday due to heavy rainfall and a lack of transport.
According to the Secretary of State in the City of Maputo, Joaquim Vicente, students were unable to sit the exams because of rain that lasted most of the day and transport shortages, the latter worsened by a strike by transport operators protesting fuel price increases.
Vicente said the situation prevented students from arriving at school on time to take the quarterly assessments, which began on Monday (11). Authorities have guaranteed that the missed exams will be rescheduled for next week, as these factors are considered beyond the control of students, parents and guardians.
Speaking at the opening of an event organised by the Maputo City Distance Education Centre (CPED) under the theme “distance education as a pillar of sustainable development, inclusion, resilience and quality”, Vicente stressed the need for an education system that responds to today’s scientific and technological demands.
“Investment in educational technologies and flexible teaching models is not a secondary option, but a strategic necessity to ensure resilient education systems prepared for the future,” he added.
The President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, acknowledged on Friday (15) that there are major challenges in urban mobility in Maputo, despite the recent delivery of more than 190 gas-powered buses, including 40 for school transport, along with another ten sent to the province of Inhambane.
He also noted ongoing efforts to build a light rail metro system.
Fuel prices have risen sharply: on 7 May, diesel increased by 45.5% and petrol by 12.1%, with the government attributing the adjustment to international price trends. A litre of petrol rose to 93.69 meticais, up from 83.57, while diesel increased from 79.88 to 116.25 meticais.
Cooking gas rose from 86.05 to 87.82 meticais per kilogram, and vehicle natural gas increased from 41.11 to 52.73 meticais per litre.
Source: Lusa
