Fatshimetrie, August 30, 2024 – In the educational microcosm of Kinshasa, a strong announcement was made during a meeting to prepare for the start of the school year. School heads were notified of a formal ban: that of disseminating professional correspondence on social networks. This measure, issued by the director of the educational province of Kinshasa-Plateau, Robert Kongi, aims to remind education stakeholders of the professional and not friendly nature of their exchanges.
During this crucial meeting, focused on the organization of the 2024-2025 school year, Robert Kongi insisted on the importance of teacher training and the imperative of ensuring an atmosphere conducive to learning, free from unnecessary interference. The Minister of National Education and New Citizenship, Raïssa Malu, recently confirmed the date of September 2 as the final day of the return to school for students across the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Robert Kongi’s speech was also marked by an urgent appeal to parents: he urged them to encourage their children to return to school at the beginning of the coming week. Education, he recalled, remains the most precious gift to offer to the younger generation, well beyond any union or political considerations.
In addition to these edifying remarks, the director of the educational province emphasized the need to protect the school environment against any health risk, particularly with regard to the monkeypox epidemic (Mpox). Barrier gestures, regular hand washing, the use of disinfectant gel and the avoidance of traditional greetings were thus presented as imperative preventive measures to be applied in schools.
By bringing together heads of institutions and managers around these vital issues, the educational province of Kinshasa-Plateau demonstrates its desire to guarantee a safe return to school, conducive to intellectual development and the development of knowledge. In N’sele, this meeting is an essential event, a precursor to a school year marked by rigor, kindness and educational excellence.
The need to preserve professional integrity, while embodying the values of responsibility and vigilance, is thus emerging as the foundation on which educational stakeholders will build the future of Congolese students together. In the excitement of this imminent return to school, education is more than ever an essential pillar of society, calling for collective mobilization and unwavering commitment to the success and development of all.