Educational Progress

Against such a background the story told by students of Angola, about the various methods used by the Portugese Government to stunt the educational progress of the Africans needs no further elaboration.

In the interior, where most of the schools are boarding institutions, the Angolan students spend most of their time working on farms instead of studying.

In the townships and villages, the situation is not much better. The native children can attend only a rudimentary school where the most backward methods of teaching are used. Children in such schools are forced to do eight years of primary education instead of the normal four given to the "non-indigenas"—" indigenas," is a name used by the Portugese Government to designate all the people who have not gone through the process of "assimilation"—so while a Portugese student takes 11 years to complete his primary and secondary education, the "indigena" needs' 15 years if he passes all his examinations first pop.

The responsibility for educating the "indigena" has been given to the Catholic Church.

In the schools, pupils are taught the elements of writing and reading. The teaching of history consists of a few superficial facts; and the unsavoury aspects of Portuguese history are taboo. Because of the "assimilation" policy, the pupils are forbidden to use their mother tongues.