The representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) in Angola on Thursday recognised the increase in the education budget every year, but regretted that a large number of children are still outside the education system.
Antero Almeida was speaking at the opening of a round table on Investment in the Education Sector, which brings together Unicef representatives, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and members of civil society.
“We recognise the efforts of the Angolan government and the increase each year in the budget dedicated to education and the ambitious targets set in the National Development Plan 2023-2027, which aim to increase the net enrolment rate in the beginners’ class by ten percentage points, and in primary education by six percentage points and secondary education by four percentage points by 2027,” said Antero Almeida.
He also applauded the Angolan government’s focus on expanding access to education, through the construction of schools and children’s centres, important initiatives such as the Integrated Intervention Plan for Municipalities (PIIM) and the focus on the quality of teaching and teacher training, through pilot projects such as ‘Learning at the Right Age’, which aim to strengthen skills and new approaches that will reduce gaps and accelerate pupils’ learning.
“However, we also recognise the challenges in relation to the high number of children still outside the education system, the difference between girls and boys who don’t progress from primary to secondary education and the overcrowding of school infrastructures, influencing the quality of teaching,” he stressed.
According to Antero Almeida, the proposed state budget for 2025 “defines the largest allocation ever for education”, with 2.24 trillion kwanzas ( €2.1 billion), representing 6.5% of the total budget. The budget for education has been increasing over the last five years.
For Antero Almeida, “it will only be possible to achieve the Incheon Declaration target of 20% and improve the quality of the expenditure if there are improvements in the allocation dedicated to the education sector”.
This round table, emphasised the Unicef representative, is an opportunity for experts and those in charge of the sector, with the commitment of civil society and international partners to discuss ways and strategies to achieve “more and better results, with existing resources”, while also identifying other sources of funding for the sector.
“Guaranteeing quality education for all boys and girls in Angola is fundamental for economic growth, with every US$1 invested in education generating up to US$10 in economic benefits,” he noted.
For his part, the Angolan secretary of state for pre-school and primary education, Pacheco Francisco, said in his opening speech that “the government’s actions have sought to bring the quality of educational processes closer together, both in terms of aligning curricula and improving school programmes and textbooks, as actions of strategic importance”.
Pacheco Francisco also emphasised the need to increase investment in order to strengthen the role of education in the country’s sustainability.
“The aim of the gradual increase in the sector’s budget is greater investment in human, material, organisational and symbolic resources aimed at providing a suitable environment for the sector’s full development,” he said.
Lusa
