EXETAT 2024 OFF-SESSION: TESTIMONIALS FROM SOME OF THE FINALISTS

On Monday, May 6, 2024, high school seniors began the off-session exams for the 2023–2024 State Exam. In total, more than 950,000 seniors are taking these off-session exams, which consist primarily of an essay, an oral French exam, and a vocational skills test. How did these exams go? A team of editors from the EPST’s Communications Management Department asked this question to a few graduating students from Lycée Sacré-Cœur, whom they met at the Gombe Institute, one of the testing centers in the Kinshasa Lukunga Educational Province. Bukasa Rachel, a senior at Lycée Sacré-Cœur majoring in General Education, said: “For the essay, I was asked to explain the topic ‘There’s no place like home.’ I prepared well for it; I’m sure of that. One thing is certain: I panicked at first, but then I realized there was nothing difficult about it if you’ve reviewed your notes thoroughly.” At the same time, she criticized the organization of the practical exam. This disorganization could have repercussions on the final-year students’ results. “We arrived at 8 a.m. but weren’t allowed into the room until 3:35 p.m. This is something that didn’t sit well with me personally,” she emphasized. For her part, Banza Luta Ruth, also a senior at the Gombe Institute (Don Bosco) in the business track, stated: “During the essay portion, I panicked before the exam began. But when we were handed the exam booklet, I realized there was nothing difficult about it—it’s just that people are afraid. There were already six topics scheduled, and I had focused on one to develop that said: ‘Education gives everyone the ability to be fully creative.’” The out-of-session exams for the state exam began on Monday, May 6, 2024, across the entire country. It was the Minister of Education, Primary and Secondary Education (EPST), Tony Mwaba, who gave the go-ahead from Kinshasa. For the 2023–2024 session, nearly 952,334 graduating students are registered. They have been distributed across 2,959 testing centers. Paulin Ngenda