Private higher education in Mozambique: an overview of a growing subsystem

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the sub-field of private higher education in Mozambique. Private higher education in Mozambique emerged in the mid-1990s following the liberalisation of the economy. Since its inception, higher education in Mozambique had always been public, in line with the socialist ideology of the first Mozambican governments after the country’s independence in 1975. Methodologically, the paper uses a comprehensive literature review, policy document analysis and statistical data from various official sources. The study concludes that the emergence of private higher education in Mozambique led to an increase in the number and type of higher education institution suppliers (private and public, secular and denominational), which inevitably created an environment of competition among the different institutions.