The United States of America (USA), through the Agency for International Development (USAID), has become a formal partner of the Mozambique Education Sector Support Fund (FASE), with the objective of continuing to support the Ministry of Education and Human Development (MINEDH) in carrying out the Education Sector Strategic Plan for the next ten years.
The partnership comes three months after the Minister of Education, Carmelita Namashulua, and USAID Mission Director, Helen Pataki, signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of education.
The Fund focuses on a range of issues jointly identified by the Mozambican government and donors, including access to and quality of education, as well as improving the institutional capacity of the education sector in Mozambique at central, provincial, district and school level, among other priorities.
“Being a FASE partner increases our ability to collaborate and align with U.S. Government priorities, which include giving children and youth access to good quality education, particularly girls and children with disabilities.”
As a member of FASE, USAID will contribute $700,000 annually.
USAID’s Mission Director said that “being a partner with FASE increases our ability to collaborate and align with US Government priorities, which is about giving children and youth access to a good quality education, particularly girls and children with disabilities.
Pataki said, “USAID continues to directly implement programmes in bilingual education, girls’ education, inclusion of students with disabilities, support and development of teacher training and reduction of teacher absenteeism, as well as vocational education and training. These programmes are implemented in Nampula and Zambezia.
Improving the education sector is a critical component of the US Government’s broader assistance in Mozambique.
In close collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, the U.S. provides more than $500 million annually for assistance and quality improvement in education and health care to promote economic prosperity and support the nation’s development.
The Mozambique Education Sector Support Fund is co-financed by 12 donors: Finland, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, France, Germany, the European Union, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Global Partnership for Education, and now the United States.
