4 years on, here's what to remember about free public primary education

Since 2019, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), thanks to the dedication of President Félix Tshisekedi and the support of various partners, has implemented the constitutional provision for free primary education in public schools. This measure has been consolidated under the leadership of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education, headed by Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi. In addition to successfully consolidating this initiative, the current head of the Ministry has even managed to extend this flagship policy of President Tshisekedi’s five-year term to consular schools. And this constitutional provision has enabled more than 6 million children to return to school. Consequently, 58,000 new teachers were recruited, bringing the total number of paid teachers from 410,254 to 676,454, with the elimination of income tax on their salaries. Also as part of the initiative to provide free primary education in public schools, the Government decided to cover the costs of the National Primary School Graduation Exam (ENAFEP). Also, for the first time in history, teachers were entitled to severance pay, transportation and housing allowances for those in provincial capitals, and a free education bonus for primary school teachers. The government has also launched a teachers’ pension fund and established a teachers’ health insurance cooperative in several other cities, while increasing its budget by 44%. It is important to note that within four years, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi established the Fund for the Promotion of Education and Training (FPEF), not to mention the hiring of 266,220 teachers known as “new units (NU).” Following the success of free primary education, the President of the Republic instructed the government to implement the school lunch program to help retain students in schools. Bellamie Mikwe