Having achieved universal access to basic education and significant progress in access to pre-primary education, Cabo Verde is focused on improving the quality of learning in both preschool and the first cycle (grades 1 to 4) of basic education as well as improving inclusion.
Cabo Verde’s Partnership Compact maps the country’s plans to make preschool education accessible to all and to improve the quality of early childhood education (4 to 10 years).
The government is working with GPE and other partners to improve school infrastructure and learning materials, train teachers, raise awareness among vulnerable families about preschool education opportunities and help fund their children’s participation, and reinforce the preschool feeding program.
Better support for children with special needs, as well as a commitment to gender equality, will help make the education system more inclusive.
We spoke with the government and partners about Cabo Verde’s path to education system transformation.
![Wilson Jose Silva Moreno](https://assets.globalpartnership.org/s3fs-public/2024-07/wilson-jose-silva-moreno.jpg)
Wilson Jose Silva Moreno
Director, Research, Planning and Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education.
![Ana Cristina Pires Ferreira](https://assets.globalpartnership.org/s3fs-public/2024-07/ana-cristina-pires-ferreira.jpg)
Ana Cristina Pires Ferreira
Program Specialist Education & Early childhood development (ECD), UNICEF.
1. What does system transformation mean in the context of Cabo Verde?
Wilson Jose Silva Moreno: Education system transformation is a long-term agenda and is aligned with the country’s national and international commitments. Cabo Verde has taken on commitments for the period 2016–2026 geared toward the country’s sustainable development, based on greater freedom and stronger democracy, reduced unemployment, increased average income, greater security and a better quality of life for all.
Regarding education, the government of Cabo Verde seeks to reform the curriculum, improve internal and external communication about the sector, further the digitalization of education, and ensure a fair, resilient and inclusive system fit for the 21st century.
2. Why did Cabo Verde choose “improving inclusion and the quality of learning in preschool education and the first cycle of basic education” as a priority reform? How can this priority unlock the transformation of the system?
Wilson Jose Silva Moreno: Cabo Verde chose “improving inclusion and the quality of learning in preschool education and the first cycle of basic education” as a priority reform to reduce inequalities in access to education, including disparities between urban and rural areas, and to advance compulsory schooling to help address social inequality and poverty. Furthermore, quality preschool education prepares children for primary education, improving their performance and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.
The priority reform will transform the education system in that it will ensure universal access to preschool education, as well as inclusion and quality of learning for all children throughout the first cycle of compulsory basic education. Furthermore, the reform aims to:
- Ensure universal and equal access to preschool education, reducing regional inequalities.
- Strengthen the management of preschools and the governance of preschool education.
- Ensure the qualifications of preschool professionals meet the quality standards.
- Enhance the quality of education (with a focus on the Portuguese language and mathematics) in grades 1 to 4.
Ana Cristina Pires Ferreira: Early childhood education is essential to a child’s development, and capacities obtained in the first formal stages of education have a positive impact on the following learning cycles. Cabo Verde chose the aforementioned priority reform with this in mind, and believes that the most important changes should be made at the foundational level.
It should be noted that basic and secondary education in Cabo Verde have already undergone important reforms and it is necessary to now invest in preschool education.
The idea is that inequalities in education will be minimized if there is an expansion of equitable access to preschool, investment in the quality of the early years of education, the inclusion of children with specific learning needs and that are at risk of being left behind, and the reinforcement of system planning, tracking and assessment capacities geared towards results.