Original reporting: Masudul Zarif · Global Voices — Politics · CC BY 3.0 · 2026-11-14
AI could help bridge educational inequality in a country where thousands of students still learn outdoors
Photo taken by Rahul Ingle, May 2012. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
In many communities across Mozambique , formal education still takes place in the open air, under trees , in improvised yards, or inside fragile structures that barely offer protection from the sun and rain. These so-called outdoor classrooms are not an innovative pedagogical choice, but more often than not, the expression of a structural deficiency: a lack of infrastructure, a shortage of materials, and an estimated deficit of around 12,000 teachers in 2025 .
During the rainy season (roughly November to March in Mozambique), the situation becomes more challenging. In several regions, the school calendar must be adjusted to respond to inclement weather, such as heavy rains that disrupt classes and hinder the continuity of teaching between November and March each year.
In this context, the question arises: What is the place of artificial intelligence (AI) in an educational system that, in many areas of the country, is still fighting for the basics?
In rural districts of provinces like Cabo Delgado , Nampula , and Zambézia , it is common to find classes of students studying under trees. The Minister of Education , Samaria Tovela, has been evaluating schedule adjustments because, while classes are frequently interrupted during the rainy season , concentration becomes a constant challenge during periods of intense heat. Without proper blackboards or textbooks, and often with a single teacher responsible for several classes , the learning process becomes irregular and deeply unequal when one million students learn to read and write on the ground .
This scenario highlights a central problem: Learning depends on minimum standards that are not yet guaranteed in Mozambique. At the same time, one of the biggest obstacles to introducing technologies like AI in rural African contexts is the lack of connectivity. In Mozambique, about 73 percent of the population lacks internet access , according to 2024 data from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Regional inequalities limit these initiatives, despite some progress recorded in recent years . This limitation directly affects the potential of solutions such as distance learning or digital learning platforms.
Language, culture, and the role of the state
Another critical challenge is the linguistic and cultural dimension. In Africa, where more than 2,000 languages are spoken , only a fraction — around 49 — are represented on digital platforms like Google’s translation service. Integrating Mozambique’s Indigenous languages, such as Emakhuwa , Xichangana , or Elomwe , into digital educational tools could significantly increase students’ comprehension and engagement, especially in the early years of schooling. However, implementing these solutions raises practical questions in contexts where access to technology is still limited.
The overwhelming majority of the Mozambican population speaks a Bantu language most frequently at home (81.7 percent), and a portion cannot speak Portuguese at all (41.9 percent), though it is the sole official language of the country due to its colonial history. Despite this, the media, official government communications, and healthcare institutions continue to privilege Portuguese to the detriment of Bantu languages — the languages of the masses — which, activists argue, constitutes a form of social exclusion. Emerging initiatives, however, show that it is possible to bridge this gap with the aid of technology. In Johannesburg , for instance, tech startups are developing AI solutions tailored to African languages.
Offline tools, pre-loaded content, and digital pedagogical assistants are some of the possible solutions to address the deficiencies and limitations of Mozambique’s education system. While the government does not yet have specific policies to integrate AI tools in schools, advocates say the state could play a central role in integrating technology into the daily lives of students and teachers. This also involves investing in teacher training; ensuring basic infrastructure; facilitating energy access; and strengthening partnerships with universities, startups, and international organizations.
Talking about artificial intelligence in outdoor classrooms may seem contradictory at first glance, but it is precisely in these contexts that technology needs to be considered creatively and responsibly, not as a replacement for the essential, but as a strategic complement.
The priority remains clear: Building schools, training teachers, and ensuring access to basic materials. The question is how to integrate developed technology without creating profound inequalities, respecting local contexts, and placing the student and teacher at the center of decision-making. In a country where learning still takes place under trees, the future of education will depend not only on the technology available, but also on the political and social choices that define who has access to knowledge and under what conditions.
Written (Português) by Tirso Sitoe Translated (English) by Masudul Zarif View original post (Português)
Sources and further reading
Global Voices — Politics · Masudul Zarif · Original publication: 2026-11-14
Substantive reporting republished under CC BY 3.0; credited source text reformatted into paragraphs. No third-party photographs republished.