The Challenge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Reform in Mozambique: Goals, Options and Constraints

This paper focuses on Technical Vocational Education and Training, one of thepriority area defined by the Government of Mozambique. The paper recognizes that, despite TVET's unquestionable contribution to the development of skilled manpower demanded by both formal and informal labor market, the system hasbeen slow top respond to changing labor market demands. The (paper) pointsout some of the critical problems confronting TVET's current provision such aslack of coordination among the various TVET programs, very little flexibility toadapt to the changing labor market needs, insufficient funding to sustain the developmentand implementation of good quality and relevant training programs,coupled with a generally weak management capacity at school level.It is against this background that the (the government'sstrategy to transform the current situation by promoting an Integrated Reform of Technical and Vocational Education (PIREP- Programa Integrado daReforma de Educação Profissional), to create a demand-led system responsiveto labor market needs.Understanding the complexity of the reform in which the government has embarkedon, the (paper) highlights some of the challenges that the reform is facingparticularly with regard to the introduction of competency based curriculum,development of well qualified trainers and establishment of new institutionalframework. The (paper) concludes by highlighting the dilemmas of the governmentto on one hand respond to the need to train skilled people for the yet small formal labor market and, on the other hand, to respond to the huge social andpolitical pressure to provide short skills training programs for the great majorityof the population in order to enhance their opportunities to contribute to thedevelopment of their communities and their own lives