Literacy/Education Development -The Aga Khan Development Network, Pemba, Mozambique
The Schools Project
I was able to meet with Marcelo Silberano, the regional director for The Aga Khan Development Network, to discuss his organization's work in educational development in the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique, one of the most remote and least developed areas of the country, bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, and Niassa Province to the west. The Aga Khan Network has done outstanding work in developing all of the social sectors of development in many parts of the global south; here in Mozambique, they are working closely with the state and with other NGO's to provide many critical services. Below is a transcript of the frank and interesting conversation I had with Mr. Silberano about the state of the local school systems, Aga Khans education programs, and the issue of school leadership at the local level. Mr. Silberano has been involved in both regional and national educational policy in Mozambique for over a decade, and we spoke in his office in Pemba, the provincial capital.
Could you please tell me about your work with literacy and education in the Cabo Delgado district of Mozambique? What kind of programs are you running? What is the intended audience? What is your desired result?
The Aga Khan Development Network has a very critical education component to its work here in Mozambique. First, we are running a school improvement program. This is targeting basic and primary schools through a focus on teacher training and creating networks of school councils to empower local communities, through creating partnerships in the school communities through a school management team. This is basically creating more accountability at the local level for the public schools, and more partners to work with to enact positive changes in the administration of the schools. Aga Khan is working at all levels of education here in Cabo Delgado. First, at the primary level, from grades one to seven; also, with work in early childhood education from the ages of 3-5 years old. At this age range, we are working to establish small preschools and in training local educators for these preschools. These are primarily volunteers who work with the thee schools already founded and running in the province. This also entails setting up local school management teams to work with managing the schools. We are working to train the educators, to promote the development of materials, reading stories, toys, as well as training local artisans to develop the curriculum at the local schools. There are already 11 schools where this is taking place. The idea is to use local materials and to utilize local resources in teaching and to use local materials for the constructions. There are 72 schools in the entire network of Aga Khan in Cabo Delgado who are currently receiving training and development in this area. We are also working in curriculum development with our partner schools. Also, in addition to the programs targeting the youth, adult literacy education programs are also being implemented. In this capacity, Aga Khan is working to train adult educator teachers through a teacher trainer program. Another program by Aga Khan in the sector is the Bridge to the Future program, in which an agrarian school has been started in one of the rural areas of Cabo Deldago. The goal of this school is to work in hands-on vocational training in agriculture. They are starting with the basic levels of agriculture and agricultural development-management, developing teacher training and curriculum development which is being started this year; there is also new infrastructure, such as a new computer lab and also a library on site. In addition to these features, they have constructed an aviary for 1000 chickens, as well as a corral for goats.
Aga Khan has also been working with a local scholarship program, which started in 2005, and has given 238 scholarships for the different educational areas such as agriculture, education, health, accounting, for teaching. (How is the selection process run for these scholarships?) They are chosen through a long process which identifies the needs of the Province, and then matches the human resources with the needs, which now the most critical seem to be IT and tourism, which are the 2 biggest new areas that are needing human resources. They put up postings with the results in the schools, which also helps to advertise the programs and the scholarships available for the locals. The prospective students are then required to sit for an exam, either a government exam or an ADK exam to pass, then there is a social criteria which must be passed, where such historically underserved populations such as women, rural, and disadvantaged students are given special consideration. After this step, there is a selection team that must interview the students to verify all of the other steps before the schoalrships can be finalized, and then they are selected. ADK pays the fees, accommodation, food, and also hosts internships for the students, studying in different provinces around the country. The ultimate goal of the scholarship program is for the students to be trained and to come back to Cabo Delgado and work and be employed here in the local area. This is a challenge, as there are very little jobs here to fill, despite the needs in IT and tourism.
(How are the students being considered for scholarships looked after at the school level, in terms of special guidance?)
In each school or university, there is one mentor chosen who will work closely with the students, and design different activities to be involved with for the students, to develop them in different areas such as life skills and social actitivies. This mentoring program is called Emerging Leaders, which helps to identify scholarship recipients as well as nurture students already chosen. This is done also to raise the profile of making a difference in the community, and to make for an experience that is more than just the studies for the students. They will often work to clean the hospitals, they have been raising funds for local orphanages, they are planting trees in the local community for an environment day. The goals being to try to broaden the horizons of these Emerging Leaders.
(What is the biggest challenge in this scholarship program and in working with these Emerging Leaders?)
The biggest challenge is raising funds for scholarships for these students. The\ scholaship programs last 3-4 years, and there must be money committed for the entire process which is essential to ensure continuity for the students involved.
(What about distance education, opportunities for students outside of the Pemba area?)
We are trying to develop a program to give access to our programs for students who are far from the schools. In some remote areas, the schools will finish in grade 5 and the students must complete an alternative curriculum in which they have some learning materials and must go to the local primary schools and work with teachers with some adapted materials. This program requires teachers who can conduct outreach once a week or twice a week to explain adapted curriculum in this area. This curriculum gives basic skills, and they are trying to develop this new curriculum in the more remote regions of Cabo Delgado presently.
Many of the citizens of the country, particularly in outlying areas, are not speaking the national tongue of Portuguese; what efforts are being made to support local language literacy as well as second language literacy?
The foundation does not work with local languages, because in the districts that they work, they are working in partnership with the government, which is only hosting the Portuguese language. In some schools, such as some bilingual schools, local languages are being used, but ADK is not working in this area, as they are not found in the 5 districts with ADK programs.
How are teachers retained, paid, trained, and motivated to progress in their work? What are the incentives for doing a good job in the classroom?
In terms of the teacher training and teacher motivations, incentives for teachers is always a problem. Even the basic working conditions for the teachers, in terms of making them motivated with limited materials, is the biggest issue. ADK tries to train as well as help to complete the materials that are available to the teachers in the province; however, providing incentives to the teachers directly is very complicated, and comes down to the government. ADK can only try to compliment what the government is doing in this area, and currently, there are little incentives for the teachers. However, if improvements are made in this area of incentives and increased compensation, and there are not good monitoring systems in place to ensure that actual improvements are being made for things such as teacher pay for performance, it would be impossible to implement with such a weak system of oversight.
My specific areas for study include educational technology and local language literacy programs. Have you done any work in these two areas, or do you know of other organizations doing work in these two areas?
Here, there is little other technology programs; in the Bilibiza school (the new agrarian school), there is a computer lab which will train both the teachers and the students to use the computers and in informatics. There is some limited internet connection there, but they are trying to raise more funds for a better internet connection in the location. However, there are limitations to bringing in the internet to a remote location- the teachers and administrators need to be trained in basic computing skills in this location. (What would the ideal role of technology be in this new location?) Ideally, the teachers would be able to send exercises via the intranet; we are trying to develop an E-Learning platform, and are asking the teachers what areas they could use technology in in the classroom through an intranet. It seems that the request is for a big quantity of materials that can be digitized and used in the lesson planning process, but this is still a way in the future.
What resources are currently most needed by both your organization and by the schools system in Mozambique overall?
The first resource is not materials. It is in having a good school director, a good management team in place. This is one of the biggest issues here in Mozambique. Having a good director is not the only thing that matters, but this will make a huge difference in a school. In schools with basic needs being met, without a good leader, the performance is not good. With schools in which are missing a lot of things, but which have a good school manager, there at least is direction and a basic functioning in the school. For example, ADK conducted a study in Cabo Delgado and found that the biggest issue facing the schools is that the teachers are simply not showing up. Even if they are in the school they are not in the classroom. Even if they are in the classroom, the time spent actually teaching is very small. This is the biggest issue. If there is a good management, that can oversee the lessons and oversee the teachers, instead of allowing teachers to do whatever they want, this will make a tremendous difference in the school system here in Mozambique. Human resources are the most important resources. Supervision is critical, in terms of meeting with the teachers, lesson planning, and time structure. Teachers often can not show up for a week, and everything is ok when they return, no questions asked. ADK determines if a school is a good investment based on the leadership, as well as a good school council, which can also control the school leadership as well as the community and can also serve to to assess the community needs and make that connection possible. A good school council, a good headmaster, will help to solve the other problems and issues on the ground.
How can the quality of the leadership be improved?
It is not only training, this is only one thing; to specifically train for one issue is one thing, in terms of school management, vision, mission, objectives, targets, etc for the school and for the leadership to have a plan to meet these targets, but if the incentives are not there, in terms of not only salary and money, but also in recognition by the government that the headmaster is effective, then the process will falter. Such incentives as a radio or a bicycle at the end of the year, and also recognition in front of other people, in terms of big meetings and prizes, can work in the sense of the system not having the money for increasing general salaries for teachers or headmasters. Small loans and roofing materials for a house, etc, for outstanding teachers or school leaders. Small things that are needed in the different rural communities, that do not require a lot of money, should be used. The recognition that can be given by leaders is also very key in this culture. Intrinsic motivation must be used, as there is a lack of external funding to help to change the mentality of the people.
How else can the quality of leaders be more ensured, to create a lasting culture of progress in the school system?
We also need to look at how we choose our headmasters. There must be prerequisites and qualities that are being looked at, there must be more involvement of the communities, to find people who have true leadership capacity, not just incumbent teachers or family members of leaders. Giving the power to the local leadership to make decisions at the school level, giving them autonomy, is also very important. The system here is very bureaucratic; there is not power currently for headmasters to take the measures to really discipline teachers who are not doing their jobs. The teachers who go to work and do not go, at the end of the month, get paid the same amount. The headmasters must have more local power and autonomy to permit the schools to run in the right direction. If someone is in the position, without the power, then they will be completely ineffective. Power must be passed down to the local level.
Mozambique is still very poor; books and materials must be provided to the schools at the basic level, to make the schools better, but the human element is the most important. And in the human element, the headmasters are the most important.
