AngolaToday

Luanda, Angola
Friday, March 20, 2015
2 pages
five cents
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What is the Problem with

Education?
How does it impact the people?
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The Angolan Education system has been
gradually moving forward over the years.
There are many more children that can and do
go to school now compared to when Angola
had its civil war back in 1979 which lasted
1
until 2002.
Since then kids from ages 7 to 11
have been able to go to school for free
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Youths going to school

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and have many more schools available for

them to attend. Unfortunately in the past there
were many children and adults who were not
given the proper education and therefore not
the proper tools to live a very successful life.
They were not given the same opportunities.
Back in the 1930s many Angolans
could not read or write, they did not have
proper access to education. Most of the time
churches provided people with some form of
schooling but after 1979, when war broke out,
the number of schools went down because
1
most were either deserted or destroyed.
A
census that was taken near 1930 showed that
around 65% of Angolans (though it was part
2
of Portugal at the time) were illiterate.
Once the civil war ended people got
back to their jobs, drilling oil, mining
diamonds and the government started raising
money to give its people a higher education.
They hoped to lower the illiteracy rate and
make it so more kids could afford to go to
school. In 2009 they brought in around 10
teachers from Cuba to teach kids and help
build new schools. They hope to eradicate

2
widespread illiteracy all over Angola by 2015.
This would really help their poverty rates as
many live under the poverty line and over half
4
its people are unemployed.

Though more recently about 73% of

young Angolans have the ability to read and
write. Although when you are solely looking at
boys, about 81% of them can but when you
look at the girls only about 65% can read and
1
write.
They have discovered that not as many
girls go to school as boys In Angola, 81 girls
are in high schools for every 100 boys 3
As you can see Angola has let other
priorities such as war blind them from things
their people need which is a good education.
There are many adults that never got the
chance to go to school because of war and
limited access to proper schools. Though the
government is doing its best to help change
this. They are now spending time, money, and
other resources to make sure its people are
properly educated.

Human Rights Violations

in Angola
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Angola, a country in South Africa, is a fairly
poor place. Though it has the potential to be a
highly advanced country its Government has
become corrupt. Their president, Jos
Eduardo dos Santos, has been in power for the
past 36 years. In Angola, there are so many
human rights violations I hardly know where
to begin. There are horrid prison conditions.
Their government silences anyone, journalists,
peaceful protesters, who speaks out against
them despite the fact their people have the
right to freedom of speech. And men can still
abuse women without getting much trouble
from the law.

theres hope for women against their abusers.

Cover Story Sources:
The fact that anyone can report domestic
1. "Education & Jobs." Our Africa. N.p.,
violence, and that victims will get financial and
n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
medical support is crucial to the new
legislations impact, Mendes said. However, no
2. "Education in Angola." Wikipedia.
details have been given about the amount of
Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 18
3
Mar. 2015.
money that will be made available to victims.
I think its a great thing women have been
3. Mungai, Christine. "Girls Now
given these opportunities to help themselves
Outnumber Boys." Mail & Guardian
live in a better environment, seeing as Angola
Africa. N.p., 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Mar.
is a poverty-stricken country and that most
2015. "Countries and Their Cultures."
girls experience some sort of abuse as early as
2
Culture of Angola. JRank, n.d. Web. 17
the age of fifteen.
Though I fear priorities will
Mar. 2015.
change and the funds may go elsewhere.
Overall I would say human rights laws have
4. "Countries and Their Cultures."
not been properly enforced and something
Culture of Angola. JRank, n.d. Web. 17
needs to be done to help the people of Angola.
Mar. 2015.
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Op-Ed Sources:

Many journalists and peaceful

protesters have either been arrested for
defamation, abuse of press freedom, or other
arbitrary charges. They are often sent to
solitary confinement in jails that have horrific
living conditions, without a trial. For example,
22-year-old Emiliano Catumbela, who was
arrested on May 27, was charged with bodily
harm, and later charged with attempted
assassination of a police commander. He was
denied access to his lawyers for several days
and said he was beaten and tortured in
custody. On June 25, he was released without
1
charges.
Gender discrimination is still a
problem in Angola. Where things are getting
better for women, for a while they did not
have the proper protection from abuse or
harassment that they needed. Now,

1. "World Report 2014: Angola." World

Report 2014: Angola. Human Rights
Watch, 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.
2. "Angola: Women's Rights." Wikipedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12
Mar. 2015.

Overcrowded prison rooms

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3. 3. Redvers, Louise. "ANGOLA: Law on

Domestic Violence a Step Forward for
Womens Rights." ANGOLA: Law on
Domestic Violence a Step Forward for
Womens Rights. Inter Press Service,
n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015.