Mozambique’s Education Minister Samaria Tovela announced plans to print school textbooks locally to resolve past distribution issues. Domestic printing is prioritized to enhance educational capacity and address accuracy problems from previous years. While 87% of books for the current school year have been distributed, challenges remain due to Cyclone Jude.
Mozambican Education Minister Samaria Tovela has announced that the government is negotiating with local companies to print school textbooks domestically for the public education system. This initiative aims to alleviate prior distribution challenges, previously exacerbated by the recruitment of inadequate personnel for textbook coordination and authorship, leading to errors in 2022 editions of Geography, Mathematics, and History.
To streamline future distributions, the Mozambican Association of Printing Industries (AIGM) has urged the government to prioritize domestic printing firms through favorable public tenders instead of relying on foreign companies, which have historically won these contracts despite local capacities being sufficient.
Protection of national businesses in textbook printing has faced hurdles due to financing agencies favoring international tenders. Despite this, Tovela confirmed that printing within Mozambique is set to start within this year. She emphasized the importance of affordability in these contracts, noting significant quantities of books needed for education.
The minister indicated that while the target is to have textbooks printed domestically for the 2026 school year, some editions will be produced this year. Regarding the current school year, Tovela mentioned that 87 percent of textbooks have been distributed and aims for complete distribution by the end of March.
Challenges have arisen due to access issues caused by Cyclone Jude, affecting transportation in Northern and Central Mozambique. Tovela stated, “We are trying to see how we, in coordination with the transport companies, can effectively finish the distribution.”
The Mozambican government is taking significant steps to print school textbooks locally, aiming to improve the educational system while addressing past distribution issues. The move seeks collaboration with national printing companies and prioritizes affordable solutions amid challenges posed by natural disasters. The target is to ensure domestic printing capacity ahead of the 2026 school year while striving for complete textbook distribution for the current academic year.
Original Source: clubofmozambique.com
