With support from the Global Partnership for Education, more children are completing primary school in Mozambique--from 41% in 2009 to 49% in 2013. There are also more girls in school and gender parity is on the rise. For every 100 boys in primary school, there are now 95 girls, compared to just 81 girls in 2000. Youth literacy is estimated at 77% in 2015. These are good results for Mozambique.

When Mozambique joined GPE in 2003, it was one of our first developing country partners. During the first phase of engagement with GPE, the government and development partners prepared a plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in primary education. This plan formed the basis for Mozambique´s second Education Sector Strategic Plan 2006-2010/11 developed by the local education group in a consultative process. This education sector plan and a subsequent plan in 2012 were the basis for two GPE grants totaling $169 million.

GPE funds are channeled through a pooled donor fund, a good way to improve aid effectiveness and support the government with a collective partnership approach.

Starting in 2008, the first grant of $79 million, helped to construct 3,000 primary school classrooms and 12 secondary schools, and deliver 14 million textbooks each year to school children, including those in remote areas. In parallel, key education reforms were introduced at the school level and a nationwide school grant program was started. Schools received about $2.50 per child, which allowed them to provide basic learning materials such as pens, pencils, notebooks, and complementary reading material.

Between 2008 and 2010, almost 10,000 teachers were trained and hired annually. These teachers were posted in areas with overcrowded classrooms to ensure more effective teaching and learning. Primary school teachers also received in-service distance learning courses to improve their qualifications. Bilingual education in Portuguese and a national language was introduced in primary schools, which promoted more effective instruction in local languages. In addition, the government expanded its adult education programs through the introduction of radio literacy programs.

A second GPE grant of $90 million was implemented between 2011 and 2015 to support the achievements of the first grant. It helped te county make further progress in the education sector, such as:

• The net enrollment ratio of 6 year old children increased from 67% to 82%.
• The pupil-teacher ratio in primary education has reduced from 69 (2009) to 62 (2014).
• Gender parity is also improving, with 47.4% of students being female, and a gender parity index at Grade 1 entry that has stabilized at 0.94.

Read more on Mozambique