EIU briefing on education and health

Mozambique’s spends 22.6 percent of its annual budget on education, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said in a briefing on the education sector. According to the EIU the number of enrolled students increased from 1.2 million in 1992 to 2.6 million in 2000, with the vast majority in basic primary education. “Higher education, however, is in crisis. There are only 23 secondary schools providing pre-university education in the whole country, while the main university, Eduardo Mondlane, graduates a mere 20 percent of the students who enrol each year,” said the EIU.

In the health care sector, EIU noted that government policy has been to increase access to healthcare and to improve the quality and efficiency of health care coverage. According to the EIU over 3,700 new healthcare units will be built by the end of this year. “Current policy is aimed at increasing access to basic primary healthcare, with an emphasis on preventative and community care,” said the EIU. The World Bank has launched a six-year health programme to provide supplies, rebuild health posts and offer training and managerial assistance, with US $99 million of Bank funds, US $140 million of assistance from bilateral donors and US $116 million to come from the government.