Renamo gunmen force closure of ten schools

The schools are in the Chabaene and Monjo areas in Tsangano and Moatize districts. The closures are depriving 10,585 children of their education.

The Tete provincial director of education, Joaquim Mepe, told the paper, that because the schools have been abandoned for months, opportunists have been vandalizing the classrooms. Most of these schools were rebuilt after the peace agreement signed between the government and Renamo in October 1992.

“We are trying to persuade the parents and guardians to take the children to safe areas with functioning schools so that they do not lose the school year”, said Mepe.

But most of the parents have paid no attention to these pleas. So the children, instead of studying, are staying at home, or are involved in informal trade. Mepe admitted that one reason for this is that the parents do not have enough money to transport their children to other areas.

Mepe said that Renamo attacks and threats have also affected adult education and literacy classes in these parts of the province, due to the constant movements of people seeking safety.