Almost all children in Sao Tome and Principe are covered by pre-school education.

Enrollment in pre-primary education in Sao Tome and Principe covers almost all children, and completion of basic and secondary education exceeds 80%, according to data released this Monday by UNICEF in the capital Sao Tome.

“In Sao Tome and Principe, educational performance has begun to improve across different education subsystems. Currently, enrollment rates range from 88% to 94% of preschool-age children,” said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) temporary deputy representative. Veronica Avati, adding that the completion rate for primary and secondary education exceeds 83%.

Veronica Avati presented the findings at the opening of a workshop to present, discuss and approve the evaluation report of the Education Policy Charter and Action Plan, which will take place until Wednesday at the National Library of São Tomé.

The evaluation of the document, which was implemented from 2019 to 2023, was carried out by the Portuguese consulting company Impacte Consultants with data collection and consultations with various stakeholders in the education system of São Tomé, namely technical specialists from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, UNICEF, school management , representatives of parents and non-governmental organizations.

Consultant João Oliveira, who presented the data, stressed that despite the implementation of the Education Policy Charter during the period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, “there have been very positive developments in terms of access and quality of education”, with many indicators improving, although some targets were not have been achieved.

João Oliveira stressed that pre-school education, which has received “great attention in recent years”, and basic education have “absolutely excellent” rates, “more than 90%”, which puts Sao Tome and Principe in an “enviable position from a regional point of view” , although in secondary education the indicators are lower than desired.

He noted the continued increase in access and completion rates, as well as “reducing repetition and improving infrastructure,” as “key challenges.”

Regarding the teacher training index, he stated that “there is an increase compared to 2019,” pointing out that at the secondary level, more than 70% of teachers have teacher training, while in pre-primary and basic education, “only about half of teachers” receive this training , with the expectation of improvement with the departure of the first graduates of the teacher training courses that began in the archipelago three years ago.

Higher education was also assessed and recorded “some progress”, despite limitations in infrastructure, the number of teachers with doctoral degrees and little research.

“When we talk about universities, the teaching part is important, but the research part is very important. Without researchers, we don’t have good teachers, and to have good teachers, we also need scientific research,” he emphasized.

At the opening ceremony of the presentation of the results, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science Isabelle d’Abreu said that the mission of the document is to “guarantee access to equitable, inclusive, innovative and quality education and training, from pre-school to higher education” to promote “development human capital.”

“We recognize that there have been steps that we have not been able to overcome in building better, equitable, inclusive and effective education,” the education minister said.

Isabelle d’Abreu said she hoped that the ongoing assessment would provide “indication of the reasons for non-compliance with some of the stated goals and objectives” and also “show the way” for the preparation of an education policy charter for the next four years.

“The new guidance document for system transformation must be taken into account in the 2030 Agenda, within the framework of the SDGs. [Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável]which aims to guarantee quality, inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,” defended the UNICEF representative.

Veronica Avati called on various partners to support the government of Sao Tome in “adopting a multi-sectoral approach”, using schools as platforms for coordinated action, innovation and inclusion, strengthening learning and the education system at all levels, evidence-based management and planning. , as well as climate change, health and nutrition, and violence prevention in schools.