A school that embraces inclusion and promotes a healthy and welcoming environment for all children.

Cacula, Huíla - Angola - Adelina Mujanga, originally from the Huíla province, Quilengues municipality, is the Director of Primary School No. 1684, 16 de Agosto, in the municipality of Cacula, a position she has held since 2022. At the age of 33, Adelina dedicated her life to education in the commune seat of the municipality, from which she was transferred in 2017 to School 16 de Agosto as a 4th-grade teacher.

Adelina enthusiastically shared the challenging transition to becoming school director. Despite the initial challenges, particularly due to her lack of administrative experience, she became more mature and fulfilled by being part of the "Child-Friendly School" project. Thanks to the knowledge gained in the training sessions, she realized that the project provided the opportunity to improve her pedagogical practice, as well as strengthen teamwork and create a more inclusive and participatory school environment.

I did not train as a teacher, but with the Child-Friendly School project, I became very informed because they taught me a lot about pedagogy," said the Director.

"I have learned a lot about school management through my experience as a principal. One of the most valuable lessons was about developing the educational project, in addition to improving my knowledge of lesson planning." 

Adelina Mujanga is part of the group of 27 (8F) school directors who participated in the Leadership, School Management, and Student-Centred Teaching trainings. With this training, the directors received various tools to strengthen the participation of parents and guardians, applying methodologies that enhance teaching quality and make the school a safer space for children.

"Through the seminars I attended, I am now able to assess and correct the teachers' lesson plans effectively," says Adelina.

A school that promotes inclusion

One of the principles of Child-Friendly Schools is inclusion, and Adelina enthusiastically recalls the training sessions on this topic. While recognizing the great need to invest more in the training of teaching staff to ensure more adequate and efficient performance in their day-to-day duties, she strives to apply the knowledge acquired to make the school she leads more inclusive.

Under her leadership, the 16 de Agosto School has stood out as a school that embraces inclusion and promotes a healthy and welcoming environment for all children, regardless of their physical or social conditions. 

When Adelina took over as school director, the school was not equipped to accommodate students with disabilities. In the current academic year, the school has enrolled four students with hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and albinism—something Adelina sees as one of her greatest achievements, and she is proud of the progress these students have shown.

The Director does not hide her satisfaction with the progress made and comments that "the two children with hearing impairments can write, but they face difficulties with reading, so continuous teacher training is necessary to address these specific situations."

"Regarding physical disability, we have one student who writes very well, despite having two disabilities: he does not have his left arm and his right leg. Even so, he is able to write with impressive skill."

Responsibility of the School and Community, and Focus on Student-Centred Quality Education.

The Child-Friendly School model adopts a vision of quality that goes beyond pedagogical excellence and performance outcomes. The main focus is on the needs of the child, expanding the educators' responsibility beyond traditional "school activities." The scope of the model embraces a multidimensional approach to quality, with a holistic concern for meeting both the child's and the community's needs.

Regarding teaching, Adelina advocates for pedagogical differentiation, as each child has a different learning pace. In her view, the key to effective teaching is adapting activities to the specific needs of each student, ensuring that all progress at their own pace.

She observes that the project has significantly contributed to improving the teaching process and points out some of the differences she has noticed in comparison to other schools that are not part of the project, both in terms of teachers and students.

"At 16 de Agosto School, our students start learning to read in the early grades, and we are proud to say that there is no student in the sixth grade who cannot read.

Another improvement is related to lesson planning. The Director notes that "The four schools that are part of the project demonstrate knowledge and mastery in developing the educational project. They use a “daily plan” model, which is a very well-structured and effective lesson plan."

"We have observed this competence in terms of the monthly planning. When we meet with other schools, the teachers from the Child-Friendly School Project are always the ones who contribute the most and actively participate in discussions about the monthly plan."

To reinforce the skills of the various actors involved in the initiative, supporting manuals were developed and distributed to the 17 Child-Friendly Schools in the Huila Province.

Adelina believes these manuals will further enhance the skills of the different school participants. The manuals provide more systematic guidance and ensure the recording and consolidation of previously addressed topics.

Among the various manuals, Adelina highlights the Literacy and Pedagogical Construction and School Management manuals. For the Director, these tools "can significantly help students, especially in the recovery class, allowing them to discover and understand sounds, as well as improving reading and writing; enriching knowledge, especially while working with teachers, who are now able to better plan their lessons, and strengthening valuable guidelines for leadership, consolidating the orientations we received during training."

Adelina's satisfaction goes beyond the fact that the manuals are useful tools; it also stems from the fact that she contributed to their development:

"I feel honoured because the ideas we discussed during the project are reflected in these manuals. Today, I see that the teachers of the Child-Friendly School Project are valued, and with the ideas we shared in the manual, we will carry this knowledge to other schools.