Angola: Almost 20,000 trees used as classrooms – opposition party

UNITA’s shadow government said on Thursday that Angola has 19,000 trees being used as classrooms and that the country needs «2,000 to 8,000 schools» to accommodate 4.5 million children and young people.

Raul Tati, the leader of the shadow government of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), the main opposition party to the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), said.

In the run-up to the 1 September 2026 academic year, UNITA held a press conference to discuss the challenges and structural problems facing Angola’s education and higher education systems.

He described this situation as «a harsh reality» and noted that thousands of children study in the shade of trees; he gave the example of Uíge province, which has between «40,000 and 45,000 pupils» learning under these conditions.

«Angola needs between 2,000 and around 8,000 schools to accommodate the approximately 4.5 million children and young people aged between 5 and 18 who remain outside the education system,» he stated.

UNITA reports that the country has 7,700 state schools, 25% of which operate in precarious conditions – that is, 1,925 schools, 300 of which are in the capital, Luanda.

In addition to the need for more facilities, UNITA’s assessment highlights an opportunity to expand the teaching workforce: the system currently employs 206,000 teachers in state schools and could benefit from «between 60,000 and 78,000» additional educators to meet the needs of the entire national education system.

Raul Tati considered that the government’s open recruitment drive to hire 8,000 new teachers «is still far below» what is required.

«Over a five-year period, the Ministry of Education should recruit a minimum of 12,000 per year,» he specified.

Teachers are seeking pay rises, and the party urges the government to honour the terms agreed with the trade unions; doing so will help avoid a nationwide general strike and support a smooth start to the school year.

UNITA «calls on the MPLA government to do everything possible to avoid a general strike by resuming the phased payments».

The opposition party’s shadow government report also highlights cuts of «up to 50 per cent» in funding for the national school meals programme and calls for increased investment, the selection of reputable suppliers and improved distribution mechanisms.

School dropout rates present another challenge in the Angolan education system, with «only 24% of pupils in Angola» completing secondary education.

According to the report, these figures are from 2024 and are taken from the most recent Global Education Monitoring Report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

UNITA also highlighted opportunities for improvement in Angolan higher education, which serves 435,000 students and offers around 195,000 places for the coming academic year across 106 higher education institutions, of which 31 are public and 75 are private.

Of these, it emphasised, only 11% are allocated to public higher education – a distribution which, according to UNITA, «clearly highlights the weight given to private institutions at the expense of the public education system».

The party also denounced alleged «illegal practices within public institutions involving the sale of places».

«There are individuals making fortunes from this trafficking in places. We need to establish rigorous oversight mechanisms,» he declared.

The prime minister of UNITA’s shadow government also referred to what he described as the politicisation of schools, as the election year approaches in Angola.

«We will witness the usual chaos, with schools turned into camps for the coercive mobilisation of innocent pupils for MPLA rallies,» he remarked.

Raul Tati described the suspension of lessons whenever an MPLA candidate travels to a province on the campaign trail as a «criminal practice» and «a sure-fire way to destroy education».