Canadian Government Invests in $18M Pilot Project to Transform the Future of Education in Mozambique

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Feb. 12, 2016) -

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In a public address at the Calgary City Teachers' Convention, the president of the Alberta Teachers' Association announced that Global Affairs Canada has signed a 7 year commitment (2015-2022) with CODE (The Canadian Organization for Development through Education) valued at over 18 million dollars to help transform teacher education in Mozambique.

As stated by the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Marie-Claude Bibeau, "Education is essential to deliver on the promises of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development towards a life of dignity for all. Canada is committed to improving access to quality primary education to children everywhere, with a special focus on girls. Sharing Canada's professional knowledge and expertise with Mozambique's Ministry of Education, teaching colleges and aspiring teachers will ensure a truly meaningful and sustainable impact on the future of a country."

BETTER, which stands for Better Education through Teacher Training and Empowerment for Results, is intended to improve the quality of education for girls and boys in Mozambique by improving the quality of teacher education at four of the country's teacher training institutes. Around 1,200 student-teachers are currently enrolled in the four participating institutes, located in Cabo Delgado, Tete, Niassa and Maputo provinces.

Strengthening education at teacher training institutes is expected to immediately benefit the roughly 100 primary schools where student-teachers complete their practicums, which represent approximately 50,000 students. This pilot project will benefit even more students once teachers enter the workforce and MINEDH uses the lessons learned to improve teacher education in the rest of the country.

Specific improvements will promote gender equality, student-centered methodologies, literacy and language skills, and the creation of quality teaching materials in sufficient quantities. It will also enhance the student-teacher practicum process and strengthen school management to ensure the long term success of the initiative.

CODE's Executive Director Scott Walter said of the program: "It is a great honour to be called upon to do this work, but also a great responsibility that we take very seriously. On behalf of CODE and our partners, I wish to recognize the Canadian Government for their vision in investing in this program and to thank all of our supporters for their continued interest in our literacy work."

While primary school enrolment in Mozambique has increased between 2004 and 2014, the retention rate and student performance have diminished. An assessment by Mozambique's Ministry of Education and Human Development in 2013 concluded that only 6.3% of grade 3 students demonstrated basic reading skills. The quality of teaching has been identified as a major contributor to such poor results.

CODE has been working with Associação Progresso to improve teaching capacity and resources in Mozambique for over 25 years. CODE is a past recipient of the UNESCO International Literacy Award and of the Government of Canada's Literacy Innovation Award. Associação Progresso is a two-time UNESCO Award winner, most recently recognized in 2015. This is the biggest grant CODE has received in its 57 year history.

More about CODE

CODE is the leading Canadian international development organization uniquely focused on advancing literacy and education in some of the world's regions in greatest need. It was first founded as a book donation charity in 1959. Since then, the organization has grown to be recognized for its expertise in local language publishing, teacher and librarian education, and school and library resourcing. www.codecan.org

More about Associação Progresso's most recent UNESCO prize: www.codecan.org/news/partner-associacao-progresso-wins-unesco-2015-international-literacy-prize

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