Back to school 2023-2024: Schools lagging behind in troubled areas of the DRC
The start of the school year in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is not going without pitfalls this year. If in some territories such as Beni, Lubero and Walikale, schools timidly opened their doors on Monday, September 4, several regions of Rutshuru, Nyiragongo and Masisi are still experiencing difficulties in ensuring the resumption of classes. In question, the occupation by M23 terrorists supported by Rwanda.
The situation is particularly worrying in the Jomba and Bunagana groups, which are already recording their third consecutive year of absence. In other areas of Rutshuru, a second failed school year is looming. Faced with this alarming reality, the notables of Rutshuru territory are calling on the government and its partners to come to the aid of displaced students, who could enroll in schools in Goma and the surrounding area.
Despite these difficulties, some schools in areas controlled by the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) – particularly in the Binza, Kanyabayonga, Mutanda, Bambo, Kihondo groups and part of Bukombo – organize the registration of pupils in the hope of to recover.
However, in areas occupied by the M23 rebels, the latter have issued communiqués requiring school principals to open their doors on 4 September. Parents fear their children will be forcibly recruited into rebel-controlled schools.
Displaced students are authorized to enroll in schools in the places where they have found refuge. The previous year, thanks to the efforts of school authorities, 771 displaced students were able to take the state exam in Goma.
The return to school remains uncertain in the territories of Masisi and Nyiragongo due to insecurity, poverty, the deterioration and destruction of school infrastructure, as well as the presence of displaced people in schools. In these regions, some areas are still occupied by M23 rebels and local armed groups due to the absence of state authority.
In the neighboring territory of Masisi, the socio-economic situation, aggravated by the displacement of people fleeing abuses, makes an effective return to school this year unlikely, according to the general rapporteur of civil society in Masisi, Télésphore Mitondeke.
In Nyiragongo, many classrooms are occupied by war-displaced people, which also complicates the resumption of classes.
It should be recalled that several teachers’ unions in North Kivu have called for a strike, while at the national level, the unions have called for the resumption of classes..
Faced with this complex situation, it is essential that concrete measures are taken to guarantee access to education for all children in the DRC, including those in troubled regions. It is essential that the government and its partners work together to end the occupation and insecurity that hamper the education of young Congolese. Only in this way can a real opportunity for development be offered to these children, who are the future of the nation.