02 DECEMBER 2020
Forty female students in Mozambique awarded bursaries by Mozal
Forty female students in Mozambique have been awarded bursaries by our Mozal operation.
The students, aged 17-20, are pursuing courses in industrial mechanics and industrial electricity at Instituto Industrial de Computação Armando Emílio Guebuza (IICAEG), in the district of Boane, Maputo province.
The bursaries are paid at the start of each academic year and cover tuition fees, travel expenses and school supplies for the duration of the students’ courses, which usually last four years. They are part of a scheme called Women in Industry that Mozal introduced in 2017 to encourage more young women into the industrial sector, where gender disparity is still very high. IICAEG currently has 943 students, of which 415 are women – and only 22 per cent of those women are studying industrial courses.
Stélio Samuel, the director of IICAEG, said: “This figure is clear evidence that we need to create ways to increase gender equity in these courses.”
Shelsia Clara, speaking on behalf of the bursars, said: “We thank Mozal for this opportunity and promise to dedicate ourselves. We will work hard to become role models and inspire other girls to follow our path for the development of our country.”
Every year, 20 female engineering students at Eduardo Mondlane University – Mozambique’s biggest public university – also receive bursaries, and since the Women In Industry program began, around 100 students in technical and tertiary education have received bursaries. Applicants must pass admission exams for their course, be residents of Matola or Boane Districts, and come from low-income families.
Topics