The National Association of Teachers of Mozambique (ANAPRO) has asked the Ministry of Education for clarification on the use of nine million meticals (around US$140,000) earmarked for special exams that were planned to cater for students who were unable to take part in the national exams in December due to the post-election demonstrations.
According to the Mozambican Information Agency (AIM), the president of ANAPRO, Isac Marrengule, said that the request for information had already been sent to the National Institute for Examinations, Certification and Equivalences (INECE), based on the Right to Information Law.
The association is asking for details on the use of the funds, including the number of students benefiting, costs, companies contracted and documents proving the granting processes.
‘The aim is to guarantee transparency in the use of public resources and to inform school communities about how the funds have been managed. We are alerting them to possible irregularities and negative impacts on pupils,’ said Marrengule.
So far, INECE has not responded to the request, but ANAPRO hopes that the information will be provided within the legal deadlines.
In the meantime, the association has warned that teachers may boycott the special exams if they are not paid for the three years of overtime they are in arrears. This boycott has already affected around 35,000 pupils in the country’s primary and secondary schools.
Another problem pointed out by the organisation is the overcrowding of classrooms, with classes of up to 100 pupils. The association argues that ‘this situation harms the quality of teaching and threatens to suspend activities if there are no changes’.
