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Education for Rural Development

Improving human capacity and raising productivity through education and extension is a prerequisite for social and economic development. Illiteracy rates in Mozambique are over 60%, but the rates vary according to geographic location and gender.

While formal primary and secondary education is central to a skilled labour force, the education and training needs of adults in rural areas, and for women especially, are still a major challenge. Although women are major contributors to agricultural and food production, their agricultural training and information needs are often underestimated. Agriculture is the most important economic sector and is the sector that provides the most employment. Nevertheless, agriculture as it stands today cannot absorb surplus rural labour, and health, education and infrastructure have, thus far, failed to invest in a way that could transform rural areas. Rural areas need a range of broader, informal education and training approaches to meet a wide range of needs. Priority groups requiring basic levels of education are rural children, out-of-school adults and youths, and rural women. Both formal and informal education can also be accompanied by solid, practical training in farming skills.

These needs have been recognised by the Government, and in 2000 the Ministry of Education established a National Directorate of Literacy and Adult Education (DNAEA) with the objective of eradicating illiteracy and contributing to economic, social and cultural development. The DNAEA will promote and co-ordinate the equitable availability of basic education to youth and adults. Through civil society participation, the DNAEA has developed the National Strategy for Literacy, Adult Education and Non-Formal Education (2001-2005) as a part of the Strategic Plan for Education.

Communication for Rural Development

The use of modern communications in rural Mozambique is still limited. Damaged infrastructure and severe poverty creates a situation in which many areas of the country do not receive news and information on a regular basis. According to a 1999 study by the UNESCO/UNDP Media Programme, the provincial public radio service of Rádio Moçambique is the most effective and widely accessible media in the provinces. The national service of Rádio Moçambique is not heard everywhere however, and in many locations, only for an hour or two each day, with poor reception. Newspapers are also only available in major towns and likely are not accessible to most people in rural areas.

Considerable efforts were made recently to establish a nationwide rural communication network, with community radio stations broadcasting in local languages in addition to Portuguese. Research has shown that unlike media such as TV broadcasts and printed publications, which are exclusively in Portuguese, radio tends to use both Portuguese and other national languages and thus provides easier access to information for rural people, most of whom do not speak Portuguese. Religious and community radio stations also form an important part of the media presence in rural areas. The Institute of Social Communication (ICS) has made a significant contribution to rural communications through its community radio programme, the monthly newspaper “O Campo,” its mobile multimedia unit, video productions, and a weekly TV programme on rural and agricultural development. The ICS mobilises “community reporters” who act as journalists within communities to report and share information on the most relevant problems and achievements of local communities. These reporters also play an active role in keeping communities in touch with the outside world.

Current support interventions

• Support to the establishment of school gardens in Tete, Inhambane and Gaza Provinces, with emphasis on strengthening of environmental awareness and garden-based learning

Potential support interventions

While many donors and civil organisations are working in education, specific educational needs for rural people are not a priority for the education sector as a whole. FAO could focus its efforts on supporting the Government to address the diverse educational needs of the rural population as a crucial step towards eradicating absolute poverty and hunger. In this regard, FAO and UNESCO are joining forces in the establishment of a new flagship within the Education for All (EFA) initiative which focuses on education for rural people. Within this framework, the aim is to analyse the capacity of existing education strategies in Mozambique to meet the needs of rural people and, as appropriate, to formulate pilot interventions.

In this context, the wide range of FAO projects in Mozambique could be asked to help contribute appropriate materials – leaflets, posters, and training materials – to be used in the 20 percent of the curriculum that is left open to material of local relevance. FAO in Mozambique also has a track record in participatory approaches to project implementation, and there is considerable expertise available in its various projects that can be drawn upon to support the development (and perhaps even implementation through lectures and talks) of new rural education material.

Existing rural communications media offer good opportunities for improving the use of different communication approaches and processes to support rural development in general, and to provide information on agriculture and rural development to farming communities.

Future assistance to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of education and communication for agriculture and rural development might include:

• Assistance to the Ministry of Education to link National Education Strategy with the goals of the Rural Development and Food Security.

• Support the National Directorates of Vocational Training and Literacy and Adult Education to analyse and identify critical gaps within the existing policies/strategies to address the educational needs of the rural population. Eventually, in collaboration with MINAG and the Ministry of Women and Social Action, the aim would be to integrate a pilot project for agricultural vocational training (farming techniques, horticulture, agro-processing, post-harvest conservation, natural resource management, soil conservation, marketing etc.) with simple business and book-keeping skills, targeted specifically at small-scale farmers and traders.

• Support the ICS and MINAG to develop an appropriate communication strategy for agriculture and rural development. Technical assistance should be provided firstly to identify communication needs in support of agriculture and rural development. It should then be used to apply innovative, cost-effective communication strategies and methodologies (rural radio, training videos, traditional folk media, distance education, participatory communication approaches, etc.) to improve the access of rural audiences to information related to food security and sustainable livelihoods.

Click here to go to FAO Field Programme Management Information System (FPMIS) Projects lists for Mozambique