In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the situation of unpaid secondary school teachers continues to arouse concern and indignation. Despite promises from the Minister of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education, Tony Muaba Kazadi, to support 10,002 secondary school teachers, many are still waiting to see this announcement come to fruition.
In a letter dated April 5, 2023, Minister Muaba Kazadi affirmed that the government was committed to ensuring the well-being of teachers and settling payment arrears. However, mechanized and unpaid teachers testify that since this announcement, nothing has changed for them. They denounce the fact of having been excluded from budgeting in April 2022, despite having possessed registration numbers since January 2022.
Teachers deplore the lack of transparency in the allocation of funds allocated by the government for their payment, and point out possible misappropriation for the benefit of other entities. Some trade unionists from eastern DRC had even called for a reassessment of the distribution of quotas, accusing certain provinces of being favored at the expense of others.
At the same time, massive movements to regularize salaries were observed at the level of DINACOPE branches, suggesting that funds intended for unpaid teachers could have been redirected elsewhere. The teachers demand accountability from Minister Muaba Kazadi and demand intervention from the General Inspectorate of Finance and the Court of Auditors to shed light on this matter.
It is crucial that the authorities take concrete measures to resolve this worrying situation and ensure the payment of teachers who contribute every day to the education of young Congolese. Teachers deserve to be respected and paid commensurate with their work, and it is imperative that the government keeps its commitments to them.