In Cobué education guardians concerned about the lack of knowledge and skills among secondary school students

Parents and education guardians in the Cobue Administrative Post, located in the Lago district, express concern over the increasing number of students at both the basic and secondary education levels who lack knowledge and skills, particularly in reading and writing.

Beatriz Francisco Jacob and Esaú Cília, two of the concerned guardians, expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of some teachers at the Cobué Secondary School.

They claim that teachers are more focused on consuming alcohol, and another factor contributing to the poor learning outcomes is illegal fees. According to them, students do not put much effort into their studies, relying instead on bribing teachers to pass to the next grade. As a result, many students in the 10th and 12th grades struggle with reading and even writing their own names.

On the other hand, education guardians point to the shortage of qualified teachers and the lack of interest from some students.

"Here in Cobué, the government sends teachers to educate our children, but their job seems to be drinking instead of teaching anything. I have a niece at home who finished 10th grade, but she can't even write her own name. What kind of school are our children attending? When they leave school with a 12th-grade diploma, will they be able to get a job with these problems? We ask the government to send serious teachers to the schools," said Beatriz Jacob and Esaú Cília.

The director of Cobué Secondary School, Samuel Benjamin, responded, stating that there are no issues with reading and writing among secondary-level students, nor are there cases of teachers who focus on alcohol consumption. However, he acknowledged that reading and writing difficulties do exist among 7th-grade students who come from various primary schools to the secondary school.

"I am unaware of this situation. The teachers are very committed to teaching our students. The reading and writing issues may exist among 7th-grade students because, as you know, secondary education now begins in the 7th grade. These students come from different primary schools, and some arrive with problems in reading and speaking Portuguese, as they had teachers from grades 1 to 6," said Samuel Benjamin.

The headquarters of the Cobué Administrative Post is located nearly 100 kilometers from the district headquarters of Lago and borders neighboring Malawi. David Muianga