After approximately 15 years of dialogue with the Mozambique coalition (MEPT), the Ministry of Education and Human Development revoked Decree 39/GM/2003 in December 2018, which allowed the transfer of pregnant students from day to night.

The repeal of this Decree was only possible thanks to a campaign launched by the Education for All Movement (MEPT), with the support of other organisations that work in the area of education. According to the MEPT Executive Secretary, Isabel Francisco, this decision is a win for girls’ education. She states, “Many girls were forced to drop out because of this Decree, which in a way violated their rights.” The Executive Secretary also added that, the work does not end here, because there is still hard work to be done with regard to girls’ education.

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It should be stressed that this is one of the important political steps in the advancement of girls’ rights in Mozambique, since the Government has pledged to join efforts to reduce cases of girls dropping out of school.

These activities and constructive dialogue with relevant Ministries ensure education sector policies are gender responsive and take into account a full analysis of the gendered barriers girls and boys face to complete a free, inclusive, public quality education.

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Images Credit: Mozambique coalition (MEPT)

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The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end exclusion in education. Education is a basic human right, and our mission is to make sure that governments act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality, public education.