EXETAT 2024: 952,334 students take part in out-of-session tests launched by Tony Mwaba

The Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, officially launched the out-of-session exams for the State Examination on Monday, May 6, 2024, in accordance with the school calendar. Today’s ceremony took place at the Lumumba Institute in Kinshasa, in the Limete district, in the presence of several stakeholders from the sub-sector and a representative sample of graduating students.

In his speech, Minister Tony Mwaba emphasized that the out-of-session State Exam must be understood as an assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired by all students from preschool through the end of high school. He expressed his hope that the resulting scores would truly reflect each candidate’s level, urging them not to engage in fraud or cheating.

"I would like to remind you that the Democratic Republic of the Congo of today and tomorrow—which we want to be strong and prosperous—is founded on the values of peace, justice, and hard work, as well as honesty, integrity, and probity. I therefore urge you not to succumb to the demons of fraud, cheating, and collusion, which debase success and bring our entire educational system into disrepute. I invite you to engage in independent study grounded in self-confidence and in the skills your teachers have instilled in you throughout this school year, which is now drawing to a close," declared the head of the EPST.

In terms of statistics, the minister noted that 952,334 candidates are registered for the essay exam for the Humanities Cycle. These candidates will be distributed across 2,959 testing centers, for an average of 322 candidates per center. Thirteen centers are operating in territories outside the country’s borders, including two in Angola—in Luanda and Cabinda; one in Kampala, Uganda; one in Kigali, Rwanda; five in Bujumbura, Burundi; and four in Kigoma, Tanzania.

Professor Tony Mwaba also noted that 389,841 candidates in the Long Cycle program are in technical tracks and will take the traditional exams at 2,729 centers open throughout the Republic. The scores obtained on these exams will count toward the first day of the Regular Session. As for the exams for the short vocational cycle, he said they will be held in 269 centers with a total of 5,335 candidates, for an average of 322 candidates per center.

The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education also expressed his deep gratitude to the President of the Republic, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who was re-elected with nearly 74% of the vote in the December 2023 presidential election, for his many efforts to maintain and promote peace in the country, thereby ensuring the exams could be held in a peaceful environment.

Following his speech, Professor Tony Mwaba, accompanied by several representatives from his sub-sector, visited several essay exam centers to ensure that the exam was proceeding smoothly.

For the record, the government of the Republic has covered the costs for students from North Kivu province to take the ENAFEP, TENASSOP, and State Exams, in order to provide relief to parents in this part of the country who are unjustly suffering from Rwandan aggression through the M23 rebel movement.

Christian BELLA