Remote Education in the Context of Covid 19 in Mozambique: A Look at the Conditions for Access

Abstract

This article addresses the context of basic education in Mozambique and intends to interpret, based on the COVID-19 mitigation measures implemented by the education sector, the diverse realities emerging to analyze the viability of teaching activities, through remote classes in Mozambique. To achieve this, we utilized data from the General Population and Housing Census of Mozambique, from the 2007 and 2017 censuses, as well as the study carried out by the College of Education of the Eduardo Mondlane University, along with the Education for All Movement (Movimento Educação para Todos: MEPT). Among other results, the research uncovers the lack of schooling of a large part of the Mozambican population on school age, a reality more severely displayed in adults aged 20 or over and, in particular, women; associates lack of schooling and school dropout with marriage and early motherhood; and, it indicates, in women who continue schooling process, a significant decrease in the percentage of development in academic levels. Regarding compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures, based on didactic pedagogical strategies, in the context of emergency remote education, the study reveals that the poor structural and infrastructural conditions available, whether in schools, teachers, or families, impact students’ access and quality of learning.