"Our biggest problem is the quality of teachers. The teachers we need for the different levels of education are not always available. For example, the number of teachers that began this school year is not the same as the number we have now in the education system", said Minister Luísa Grilo.
Speaking at the 18th edition of CAFÉ-CIPRA (Press Centre of the Presidency of the Republic of Angola), the minister mentioned situations of teachers who leave the general education system and move on to other sectors of the public service, namely the higher education subsector, "for some reason only they can say".
She pointed out a case in the province of Namibe, where more than 50 teachers who taught in secondary education went on to higher education and "left gaps" in the sector she heads.
"When a teacher leaves, it is not just a question of filling the vacancy, it is a question of the continuity of the educational teaching process that is compromised (...). Therefore, it is difficult for programs to be completed 100 percent, this is one of the indicators that also causes the quality of education to decline", she argued.
Luísa Grilo said that at least 18 thousand teachers were trained in Angola in the last five years, and that most of them were placed in remote areas, where there is a greater need for teachers, but months later they abandon the schools.
"Because it is there [in remote areas] that we need teachers, but they abandon them, they work for three months, receive their salary and allowances, but after some time they abandon the schools without giving any explanation and we are left without teachers", she lamented.
The Minister of Education, who was one of the speakers at CAFÉ-CIPRA that addressed the theme "Youth, National Pride and Productivity" this Wednesday, also acknowledged "serious shortcomings" in the education system in Angola.
"We do recognize that we have serious shortcomings," she noted that work is underway to reformulate the entire education system with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The government has signed a protocol with UNESCO in the area of curricular transformation "precisely so that we can improve our school curriculum with the identified flaws and weaknesses," she replied when questioned by a journalist.
"We are currently reviewing the curriculum of all programs and we would like to receive contributions so that we can then work together on this path of improvement," she stressed, also asking for contributions from all civil society actors to improve the situation.
The lack of infrastructure, desks, teaching materials and qualified human resources are some of the challenges facing education in Angola, according to public statements by political parties and trade unions.
The Ministers of Youth and Sports, Rui Falcão, of Public Administration and Social Security, Teresa Dias, and the President of the National Youth Council, Isaías Calunga, were the other speakers at this edition of CAFÉ-CIPRA.
