The Ministry of Education wants to build about 3,000 classrooms in the country by next year to improve teaching conditionssaid this Tuesday an official source.

"The sector has a goal to build this year and by next year more than 3000 classrooms," said Lina Portugal, a representative of Mozambique's Ministry of Education and Human Development, quoted today by Mozambique Television.

The official was speaking during a ceremony to celebrate the World Teachers' Day, which took place this Tuesday, and in which the week for teachers in the country was also launched.

The infrastructure will be built all over the country and the sanitation component is fundamental, stressed the representative of the Ministry of Education and Human Development.

According to the Ministry of Education, the 3000 classrooms should benefit primary and secondary school students, aiming to improve teaching and working conditions for teachers.

Mozambique has 7,484 classes under the open air and there are 28,269 classrooms made of grass and adobe, according to data presented by the Ministry of Education in September.

The Mozambican government and eight cooperation partners renewed in July a memorandum of understanding aimed at improving the quality of education in the country.

Portugal, Germany, Canada, France, Finland, Italy, Ireland, and the United Nations Children's Fund contribute to the Education Sector Support Fund (FASE) and annually have disbursed $80 million for education in Mozambique, in an initiative created in 2002.

The new agreement signed this year aims to ensure access to quality education, implement and consolidate a monitoring, evaluation and learning system "aligned to the results-based plan."

Lusa Agency