There is a low participation of girls in school essay tests in the Kwilu 1 educational province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Indeed, out of more than 16,000 candidates, only 7,391 girls took part in the tests, representing a participation rate of 44.8% against 55.1% for boys. This situation is partly explained by cultural constraints in rural areas, in particular early marriage and the preference of goods for boys in households.
The Provincial Principal Inspector, Jean-Pierre Kasonga, believes that the low involvement of girls in the educational process is a real problem that requires the involvement of all actors such as parents, political and administrative authorities, managers and agents. of the EPST. According to him, a concrete solution to solve this problem would be to set up mass awareness.
For the 2022 session, 15,418 finalist students took part in the tests, including 8,559 boys and 6,859 girls. There is a slight increase in girls’ participation of 6.4% in 2023.
It is urgent that concrete actions be undertaken to provide better access to education for girls. The development of a large-scale awareness-raising policy, the improvement of infrastructure and the establishment of scholarships for girls are possible solutions to improve the education of girls across the country.