Africa-Press – Mozambique. At least 50,000 pupils dropped out of school this year in the Mozambican province of Nampula due to “profound challenges” that mainly affect girls, an official source told Lusa on Tuesday.
“With two million pupils enrolled [in the province], school dropouts represent a significant loss to the education system. Early marriages and pregnancies continue to be among the main causes of school dropouts, affecting girls more severely,” said William Tunzine, provincial director of education in Nampula.
According to Tunzine, the authorities have also stepped up awareness-raising efforts among teachers, school boards, parents and community leaders, focusing on the prevention of early marriage and pregnancy, arguing that reducing school dropout requires an integrated response that includes various sectors of society in order to guarantee girls’ right to education.
“Despite the adverse scenario, the education sector reaffirms its policy of inclusion, allowing girls who are pregnant or involved in early marriages to continue attending school during normal hours, in accordance with the legislation in force,” said the official, adding that this approach has been fundamental to the reintegration of hundreds of female pupils and the gradual reduction of female school dropout rates.
The provincial director also pointed out that, despite the challenges associated with school dropouts, by the third quarter of this year, the province had recorded the reintegration of 1,186 pupils into the national education system, of whom 1,066 were girls who had dropped out “for various reasons” and 120 were boys, particularly in the district of Memba.
“Despite ongoing efforts, we continue to face profound challenges that mainly affect girls’ continued attendance at school,” Tunzine lamented.
The national director of Gender at the ministry of education and culture, Seana Daúd, acknowledged in July that nearly 50% of children who have completed primary education, mainly girls in the northern and central regions of Mozambique, “are encouraged to drop out of school.”
“Unfortunately, the practice still happens. We are in the 21st century and this still happens in our country. It happens in rural areas,” said Daúd, adding that the government is working to mitigate the disparities in access to education between girls and boys in rural areas compared to urban areas.
