Local Voices: Nampula: Opening of the school year in Liúpo district amidst shame

 

Picture: Mozanorte

A great shame occurred on Friday, 31/01/2025, in Liúpo District, Nampula, in northern Mozambique, during the opening of the school year.

According to the plan from the Liúpo District Directorate of Education, Youth, and Technology, the ceremony was supposed to begin at 10:00 AM and end at 12:00 PM, but that did not happen.

Liúpo is one of the districts most affected by protests, and everything changed. Today, the opening of the school year lacked the participation of parents, guardians, or students. Even many of the teachers did not attend the event, and the expected number of students was not present in the schools at the district's headquarters.

A Greatly Embarrassed Administrator

The ceremony was led by the district administrator, accompanied by the district director of education, youth, and technology, and the head of district operations for the PRM (Mozambique Police), around 11:00 AM at the Liúpo Primary School.

What was seen was that the administrator planted some trees and expressed her great concern over the absence of students, guardians, and many teachers.

Visibly frustrated, she warned some school directors present at the meeting to inform teachers about the need to return to their workplaces.

However, the situation is not limited to education. In several other ministries, many employees have not yet returned to the district due to the protests that affected the region. Many schools have still not been able to enroll students, as teachers are afraid to enter the localities before the arrival of the police force. This is a situation that concerns district authorities.

In the district's main town, many guardians fled to the "machambas" (farmlands) after the police force's arrival, claiming they could be detained because of the vandalism that occurred on 24/12/2024.

In the end, it was a real shame, and the ceremony lasted only 20 minutes. (BP)

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