Day of the African Child: "The DRC has made a huge leap forward thanks to its policy of free education" (UNESCO)

Every child has the right to an education that promotes and develops his or her personality, talents, and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.

Children also need to be prepared for a responsible life in a free society, in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, dialogue, mutual respect, and friendship among peoples, as well as among ethnic groups, tribes, and religious communities.

This is a summary of Article 11 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It is included here in the context of the International Day of the African Child, which the world celebrates every year on June 16.

Indeed, this year’s celebration centers on the theme: “Children’s Rights in the Digital Environment.”

According to UNESCO, the Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks among the top performers in the United Nations System’s 2030 Agenda, thanks to its policy of free primary education.

"Today, the DRC has made a huge leap forward as a result of its policy of free education. Enrollment rates have increased exponentially. This aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, which emphasizes guaranteeing every child’s right to education. As a partner, we support the government in implementing this policy,” confirmed Saïp Sy, UNESCO’s education program officer in the DRC.

Children’s rights in the digital environment is a theme that is part of the broader post-COVID process.

"It is important to note that due to COVID, there have been changes in approaches, even in education, where the use of digital technology is very important," Saïp Sy noted.

African Children’s Day is an international observance held annually since June 16, 1991, by the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union, AU).

This day commemorates the massacre of hundreds of children during a march for their rights in Soweto (South Africa) by the apartheid regime on June 16, 1976, as they demanded their right to a quality education.

Deborah Kabuya