Exchange of greetings: "Tony Mwaba is a very big minister, on the scale of a big Congo" (EPST unions)

The inter-union coalition of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) praised the initiatives undertaken by President Felix Tshisekedi during his first term, under the leadership of Minister Tony Mwaba at the helm of the EPST. This appreciation was expressed on Wednesday, January 31, during the 2024 New Year’s greetings ceremony organized by the EPST. For these union representatives, Minister Tony Mwaba was a wise choice to lead this sub-sector, “characterized by numerous challenges and issues facing teachers.” “Your Excellency, Minister, your level of pragmatism, your understanding of the importance of free primary education, on the one hand, and your high degree of openness in ongoing social dialogue with partners such as ourselves, have made you a truly great minister, worthy of a great Congo,” stated Godefroid Matondo, spokesperson for the EPST inter-union coalition. In doing so, they invited the President of the Republic to renew his confidence in Tony Mwaba to complete the battle to improve the quality of education and the socio-professional conditions of Congolese teachers. “While hoping for your reappointment to the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education, the EPST inter-union coalition extends to Your Excellency, your political cabinet, and the entire EPST administration its best wishes for happiness, peace, good health, and every success in 2024,” they added. Among the achievements of 2023 cited by these union representatives are, among others, the strengthening of the partnership with EPST unions, the implementation of a digital mechanism for monitoring teacher payroll, and the resolution of several issues at public EPST institutions. Furthermore, they cited the payment of teachers who had long gone unpaid, the budgeting of certain public EPST institutions, the readjustment of operating costs for public EPST institutions, and the revision of the management agreement for public institutions under contract. Willy Kambulu