Luanda – Angolan minister of Education Luísa Grilo highlighted Thursday in Paris (France) the reinforcement of teachers skills to deal with the “new standard” imposed by Covid-19.
The minister stressed this at the 41st Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Luísa Grilo said that the return to classes has forced the Angolan Executive to mobilise didactic-pedagogical conditions, biosafety and reinforcement of skills of teachers, consistent with their training needs, and monitoring of the role of the school.
Grilo added that despite these constraints, Angola is implementing, in the wide range of social and economic fields, a set of programmes to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The minister said the intention is to reduce regional discrepancies, gender inequalities and securing universal and quality education for all children, promoting social inclusion and combat discrimination.
She pointed to the Integrated Programme for Intervention in Municipalities (PIIM), which, in her view, is providing a significant increase in the number of classrooms and reduction in students out of education system.
The official also announced that special attention is being given to girls in secondary education, with granting of 250 annual scholarships for the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The minister also spoke of the focus on reduction in gender deficit, the strengthening of family skills through women’s empowerment programmes, fighting against poverty, protecting and promoting children’s rights and valuing the family.
The minister also spoke of digital literacy with the existence of 7 million internet users and the use of the most varied information and communication systems, especially by young people who make up 2/3 of the Angolan population.
In the field of higher education, science, technology and innovation, according to the minister, the Government is committed to a training programme for Angolan staff with high performance and academic merit, with the support of the best universities in the world.
She said that 443 students have already been sent for the training, in addition to the granting of 190 doctoral and post-doctoral scholarships for higher education teachers.
Luísa Grilo also referred to the Science and Technology Development Programme, co-financed by the African Development Bank, who said that it has already guaranteed the financing of 25 of the 45 projects planned for this year.
The minister also announced the creation of the National Agency for Financing Science, Technology and Innovation, whose purpose is to integrate research and technological development institutions and higher education institutions in international scientific research networks.
Angola, according to the minister, supports initiatives, programmes and projects that benefit African countries, highlighting UNESCO’s Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029, as it reflects the aspirations of Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Sustainable Development goals set forth in the United Nations Agenda 2030.
Luísa Grilo also said that the need to develop efforts for the inscription of new “Africa Sites” on the World Heritage List is of greater interest, as well as the preservation of the “Sites” already inscribed through scientific and technological cooperation and mobilisation of funds to boost the actions carried out by the World Heritage Fund Africa.
Within the framework of the work agenda, Angola presented its candidacy for the UNESCO Executive Board.
Source: Angola Press News Agency