5th anniversary of the DNOSP: "access to educational and vocational guidance at all levels is a duty of the State" (SG Nepa Nepa)

On Thursday, August 24, 2023, in Kinshasa, at the Mokengeli Institute in Lemba, Christine Nepa-nepa, Secretary General of the EPST, launched the first edition of the national workshop on the evaluation of academic and career guidance activities.

 This event marks the dual celebration of the 5th anniversary of the National Directorate of Academic and Career Guidance (DNOSP) and the 67th anniversary of academic and career guidance in the DRC. In her opening remarks, Christine Nepa Nepa Kabala cited Articles 185 and 186 of the 2014 Framework Law, which define school and career guidance “as a subject relevant to all levels of education” that the State is obligated to make accessible to every child. These meetings, according to the head of the EPST administration, aim to assess the current state of school and career guidance activities carried out in the provinces, address the management of the school and career guidance service, operationalize the activities of the psycho-pedagogical support group, the contribution of the Center for Academic and Career Guidance (CSOP) in identifying specific learning disabilities, and finally to explore avenues for collaboration between the DNOSP and the standing committee overseeing educational staff within the EPST. To achieve these objectives, Christine Nepa Nepa invited participants not only to attend regularly and participate actively but also to conduct an uncompromising assessment of this subsector with the aim of achieving a “triple evaluation focused on the certification of graduates, the regulation of student flows, and the guidance of students toward the second cycle of general and technical secondary education as well as vocational training and teacher training.” For his part, the director of the DNOSP, Odon Mulanda, sees this workshop as an opportunity to “identify potential solutions related to access, retention, quality, and good governance with a view to improving the academic and vocational guidance system in the DRC.” It should be noted that this two-day conference will bring together participants primarily from the country’s inland educational provinces. Cephora Kokanzo