The Voice of the Voiceless for Human Rights (VSV) welcomes the recent measures taken by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education (EPST) in preparation for the start of the new school year in the DRC, scheduled for September 4 2023. These decisions are seen as an important step in reducing the financial burden on parents.
Among the new measures, it is now compulsory to pay school fees in Franc Congolais (FC) and schools can no longer require advances or registration fees for new students, nor confirmation fees for old ones.
The VSV welcomes these initiatives and encourages the Ministry of EPST to put in place an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure their implementation. She also stresses the importance of exemplary sanctions against schools that do not respect these guidelines.
However, to ensure the effectiveness of these new measures and help ease the financial burden on parents and students, the VSV calls on the central government, in particular the Ministry of EPST, to cover teachers’ salaries and operating costs of schools in a regular and adequate manner.
The VSV also stresses the importance of maintaining and strengthening the admission criteria for new students in order to guarantee the quality of education.
While welcoming the measures of the Ministry of EPST, the VSV sees in them a positive step towards the improvement of education in the DRC. She expresses the hope that these measures will contribute to making access to education fairer and more affordable for all parents and students in the country.
In conclusion, the VSV welcomes the measures taken by the Ministry of EPST for the next school year in the DRC. It encourages the government to ensure the effective implementation of these measures, while stressing the importance of providing adequate financial support to schools and maintaining their quality