Closing of the month dedicated to women's rights at EPST: Tony Mwaba pledges to ensure compliance with recommendations

The Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) held an event on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, to mark the conclusion of activities for the month of March, a month dedicated to women’s rights. Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi, who delivered the closing remarks in the La Perle de Sainte Anne hall in the Gombe district, pledged to ensure compliance with all the recommendations made during the ceremony.

This festive day allowed women from the Ministry of EPST—including managers and staff—to reflect on the national and international themes of March 2024, highlight the significant progress made in the sub-sector regarding the advancement of women, listen to various testimonials, and share their personal experiences. This initiative resulted in several recommendations, including addressing the specific needs of girls in schools and women in the administration, strengthening multisectoral efforts in the area of gender, and encouraging girls and women to access digital technologies by providing them with appropriate programs and activities.

In his remarks, the Minister of EPST acknowledged the recommendations resulting from the workshop and also promised to ensure their full implementation within the sub-sector.

“Very often in our country, despite the many problems we face, there has never been a lack of ideas, yet recommendations are all too often left gathering dust in our drawers. But it is implementation that always poses a problem. So from here on, I invite you to focus on follow-up and implementation. And I will be the first to set an example as a man of action,” he said.

Professor Tony Mwaba noted that at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (EPST), the issue of gender is already firmly established, with an entire department dedicated to effectively promoting women.

"We take the issue of gender very seriously at all levels. From an administrative standpoint, efforts are being made to create more and more opportunities for women, whether at the central, provincial, sub-provincial, or even local levels. We have the statistics, and I believe that during these events, you’ve had the opportunity to review them. I even see female PROVED representatives in this room. There aren’t many of them, I know. But we’ve taken a big step forward because before my time, there weren’t nearly as many. And this is part of our achievements,” the minister said.

The head of the EPST finally thanked the participants, all of whom contributed to the success of this event, especially since the leadership had taken this initiative.

"Allow me to thank the leadership that took the initiative to organize this event, everyone who contributed to its success, all the participants—not only those from the sub-sector, but also those who came from elsewhere through their secretaries-general, whom I see in the room and whom I greet as I pass by—and I thank you all," he concluded.

Christian BELLA