PAAF grant: Stakeholders evaluate the pilot phase and prepare for generalization in Kasai

The stakeholders and implementing partners of the Girls’ Learning and Empowerment Project (PAAF) held a strategic roundtable from August 23 to 25 in Kinshasa. The objective: to evaluate the pilot phase of the School Scholarship Program implemented as part of the PAAF project in the four subdivisions of the Kasaï 1 educational province—Tshikapa 1, Tshikapa 2, Kanzala, and Kamuesha—and to plan its expansion throughout the entire Kasaï administrative province starting with the next school year. At the end of three days of work, a roadmap was adopted for the expansion of the project to the eleven other subdivisions of Kasaï 1 and the fifteen of Kasaï 2. Guillaume Korogo, Director of the Directorate of Education for Daily Life (DEVC), praised the “constructive spirit” of the discussions and urged school principals to manage funds rigorously. He also reminded the beneficiary students of the importance of avoiding grade repetition, as scholarships are limited to four years Pilot Phase Results For her part, Ms. Alice Mutambayi, PAAF Coordinator, noted that the pilot phase enabled 49,215 girls to receive scholarships. Concurrently, 31,288 guardians, spread across 323 public schools, opened accounts with Equity BCDC to receive school fees. The grants are transferred via mobile money (M-Pesa), facilitating the coverage of the scholarship recipients’ education costs until the completion of secondary school. A gradual rollout The roadmap outlines the implementation steps: identifying schools and beneficiaries, opening bank accounts, and processing payments. It was developed through a participatory process involving all stakeholders.  

“This roadmap is a commitment. We are aware of the challenges and timelines, but also of the possible solutions,” stated Ms. Mutambayi at the closing ceremony.

She emphasized the importance of communication and the participation of all stakeholders. A project supported by the World Bank Funded to the tune of $400 million by the World Bank, the PAAF aligns with the vision of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to achieve an inclusive, high-quality education system, with a particular focus on girls’ enrollment. The scholarship program is a key component of this project. Participants in the meeting included provincial directors, provincial chief inspectors (IPP), representatives of school principals, partner NGOs, as well as delegations from the DEVC and the Ministry’s Communication Management Directorate (DGC - EDU-NC). Bruno Nsaka