1st edition of CASP: Raïssa Malu presents AI as an efficient tool for national education

On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, Kinshasa hosted the first edition of the Annual Public Service Conferences (CASP 2025), a major event dedicated to the modernization of public administration in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Organized by the National School of Administration (ENA) under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Service, the event brought together several government officials, experts, and senior administrative executives to discuss the challenges of transforming public service. On this occasion, the Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship (EDU-NC), Raïssa Malu, spoke on the topic: “Artificial Intelligence and Public Service Efficiency: The Case of National Education.” She participated in a high-level panel dedicated to the modernization of public services, alongside the Ministers of Public Health and Foreign Trade, among others. AI as a Strategic Aid to Humans In her address, Raïssa Malu emphasized the need to rethink the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Congolese education system. She emphasized that AI cannot replace humans, but rather serves as a strategic support tool for teachers, inspectors, and administrators to improve the efficiency and quality of public education services. To this end, the Minister of State underscored the importance of strengthening the educational administration of the National Education and New Citizenship sector (EDU-NC), an essential prerequisite for ensuring the ethical, effective, and sustainable integration of digital technologies into the education system. To illustrate her point concretely, Raïssa Malu cited the emblematic example of automated grading for the State Exam. This locally developed innovation delivers significant gains in speed, traceability, and reliability, while maintaining the central and decision-making role of education inspectors. She praised this solution for respecting the principles of digital sovereignty and addressing the country’s realities and needs. CASP 2025 was also marked by a visit to the exhibition booths by the Head of State, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, who officially inaugurated the proceedings of this first edition. Among the most notable exhibits was the National Education booth, where a machine and a printer specially designed for automated grading using artificial intelligence were presented to the public. An innovation presented at the highest level During this visit, the Inspector General of National Education, alongside Minister of State Raïssa Malu, conducted a practical demonstration of the grading of test booklets. This scientific presentation highlighted the performance of the new technology, particularly in terms of speed, reliability, and consistency of results. Technically, the innovation stands out for its significantly improved scanning and processing capabilities. While the old system could grade 8 to 10 answer sheets per minute, the new solution now achieves a rate of 80 to 100 answer sheets per minute, representing a major advance in the organization and management of national exams. The Inspector General also announced the continued decentralization of scanning centers, with an upcoming expansion to other educational provinces. This initiative aims to further optimize the grading process nationwide and strengthen equity among the various educational entities. Finally, a visit to the National Education booth highlighted new educational priorities, as well as training, digitization, and modernization efforts undertaken as part of the implementation of the Ministry’s 2024–2029 five-year plan. Through her notable address at CASP 2025, Minister of State Raïssa Malu reaffirmed the government’s commitment to making artificial intelligence a strategic tool for transforming the public education system, in the service of performance, transparency, and national sovereignty. Marie Shomba