F. Tshisekedi in favor of integrating teachers into the civil service with special status and benefits

President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is committed to further improving the working and living conditions of Congolese teachers, given the significant role they play in society. To this end, during the Cabinet meeting on Friday, July 19, 2024, the Head of State instructed the Minister of State for National Education and New Citizenship, Raïssa Malu, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister for the Civil Service, Jean-Pierre Lihau, to consider the potential implications of granting teachers a “special fundamental” status.   "Consideration should also be given to the idea of granting teachers the status of civil servants, in addition to their special status. However, granting this status could naturally pose challenges. Hence the need to ensure that the specific characteristics of the teaching profession are fully taken into account within the framework of civil service status," reads the minutes of this Council of Ministers meeting. According to this document, this status is intended to guarantee teachers "decent and dignified salaries, specific benefits, as well as motivating and secure working conditions." Furthermore, President Tshisekedi insists that this status must provide for an increase in the level of training and the adjustment of mechanisms for their professional development. To this end, he has requested that the aforementioned sectoral ministers conduct a more in-depth analysis and hold preliminary consultations to fully assess the potential implications of these measures. Moïse Dianyishayi