Cuito – The pre-school education subsystem in the country still faces numerous challenges in responding to demand and responding to the needs to improve the desired training quality at the remaining levels of education, the secretary of State for Pre-school Education and Primary Education, Pacheco Francisco, said Thursday in central Bié Province.
He made this statement during the 1st Scientific Conference on Early Childhood Education, held by the Bié Higher Pedagogical School.
The official who was speaking on the topic “The initiation class in primary schools: Necessary care and attention”, said that this subsystem, considered a pillar to guarantee training quality in subsequent levels of education, needs more childhood centres and schools of primary education with adequate conditions to accommodate children aged between three months and six years.
According to him, these problems, despite being old, require urgent resolution, judging by the challenges that arise in improving the quality of training in Angola, adding that there is also the lack of complex teachers, which has also interfered with ensuring qualitative education for children.
Regarding statistical issues, it revealed that the country has 1,515 daycare centres, of which only 171 are public, a reality that is far less than desired, and, as a result, pre-school education has become more expensive.
As a result, he reported that, in the current academic year, only 739,329 students were enrolled in the initiation class, in primary schools alone, a number that despite being higher than the higher education subsystem, is still not overwhelming, as there are many children outside the school system.
To change the situation, he highlighted that the ministry has asked municipal administrators, so that, within public programmes, they invest more in the sector, with the construction of more primary education centers and schools, using local material.
The head of the Division of the Technical Management Unit of the National Staff Training Plan of the Staff Office of the Presidency of the Republic, Edgar Jacob, said that the Angolan Government has drafted several policies aimed at improving the quality of education in the country, especially in the pre-school education.
He highlighted the training programme for teaching staff which aims, among other objectives, for pre-school and primary education to be carried out by properly trained and well-performing professionals.
Edgar Jacob revealed that the programme, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, has allowed the execution, among several actions, of the training of masters and doctors in teaching methodologies, particularly the master's degree in pre-school education, to be taught by the Huíla Higher Institute of Education Sciences.
Of the staff already trained many are from the province of Bié and make significant contribution with their knowledge at the local Higher Pedagogical School.
The 1st Scientific Conference on Early Childhood Education was witnessed by the governor of the province, Pereira Alfredo, and the Secretary of State for Education and Pre-school Education, Pacheco Francisco.
The event was marked by the inauguration of a community toy library, called “Eu brinco e aprendo”, which is intended to shelter disadvantaged children to guarantee early childhood education and to learn to read and write, with reading games.
The project results from the social responsibility of this higher education institution.
During the activity, lectures were also held, presentations of works in scientific committees, a musical-cultural activity and a student fair.
The Bié Higher Pedagogical School, created in 2009, is one of two public institutions operating in this central/southern region of the country, together with the Bié Higher Polytechnic Institute.
At Bié level, there are also three private higher education institutions, namely the International University of Cuanza, the Cuito Higher Polytechnic Institute and the Ndunduma Higher Polytechnic Institute.
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