100 days of Tshisekedi's second term: EPST to build 60 schools

The Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo plans to build 60 public schools across all 60 educational provinces during the first 100 days of President Félix Tshisekedi’s second term. Minister Tony Mwaba requested funding to begin construction on Friday, February 9, 2024, during the Cabinet meeting. During this weekly meeting, the minister presented a program for the construction and renovation of non-contracted public schools in order to reduce disparities in the quality of education provided across different schools and improve learning conditions for students. Fourteen (14) pilot schools have been selected in Kinshasa and across the Republic’s 60 educational provinces. “For all 60 educational provinces of the Republic, funds have been requested to carry out this work within the first 100 days of the President’s second term,” the minutes state. During the same meeting, Tony Mwaba called for a review of the project to construct a headquarters for the National Commission for UNESCO, which was initiated in 2013 and had an estimated cost of $365,117.38. Finally, the head of the EPST called for government support to operationalize the school cafeteria program as part of the School Feeding Program, whose objectives are to meet students’ nutritional needs; reduce the school dropout rate; and improve students’ academic performance. Minister Tony Mwaba specified that the terms of reference for implementing the National School Feeding Program, the roadmap for its scaling up, and an emergency plan for implementing the pilot phase of the School Cafeterias have already been drafted. So far, this program targets 10 primary schools in Kinshasa, at a rate of two schools per educational province, namely two for Mont-Amba, two for Tshangu, two for Funa, two for Plateau, and two for Lukunga. Ivan Honoré Mudiangombé