Government - Trade Union Joint Committee: a positive compromise for a peaceful start to the new school year

The deliberations of the joint Government-Union Commission culminated in a positive agreement signed by both parties on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Village Venus in Bibwa, N’sele commune, Kinshasa. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service, Administrative Modernization, and Public Service Innovation Jean-Pierre Lihau delivered the closing remarks in the presence of Minister of State and Minister of National Education and New Citizenship (EDU-NC) Raïssa Malu, Minister of State and Minister of the Budget Aimé Boji Sangara, Minister of Finance Doudou Fwamba, and Deputy Ministers Jean-Pierre Kezamudru of National Education and New Citizenship, and Bokumwana Maposo Élysé of the Budget.

The compromise reached is the result of fifteen days of intense, at times heated, discussions aimed at assessing the degree of implementation of commitments previously made by the Government to improve the social conditions of teachers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Speaking before Deputy Prime Minister JP Lihau, Minister of State Raïssa Malu highlighted the importance of these discussions, which enabled the new government team to better understand the difficulties teachers face on a daily basis, as well as the challenges facing the education system across the entire country.

“We have listened carefully to your concerns and expectations, and we leave with a renewed determination to improve the working and living conditions of our teachers, as the President of the Republic emphasized in his speech on the importance of education for the future of our country. We reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a regular and constructive dialogue with the unions to continue working together for the well-being of our teachers and the improvement of our education system. “The discussions held within the subcommittees were extremely productive. They highlighted potential solutions that, we are convinced, will enable us to build a stronger, more equitable, and more resilient education system,” she stated.

In her closing remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Lihau expressed her satisfaction with the agreements reached between the government and the union at the conclusion of the session.

“I was proud to witness constructive discussions, which ultimately led, as we had hoped, to a republican and pragmatic compromise. We prioritized the public interest over corporate interests. We prioritized the best interests of our children and education, one of the priorities of His Excellency the President of the Republic. And Prime Minister Judith Suminwa fights every day to bring this vision to fruition. Acting for the education of our children is not an option but an imperative,” he said.

Before the speeches by two members of the National Executive, the spokesperson for the EDUC-NC Inter-Union Committee, Godefroy Matondo, emphasized that union members believe the Government would be doing the right thing by clearly telling the President of the Republic, the Head of State, that teachers are partially satisfied.

While hoping that teachers’ concerns will be brought to the attention of the Presidency of the Republic, the budgetary authority, and the Government of the Republic, Spokesperson Matondo nevertheless reassured that these colleagues remain willing to be involved in the development and implementation of any national policies and strategies aimed at improving teachers’ socio-professional conditions.

The resolutions from these discussions pave the way for a peaceful start to the 2024–2025 school year, with the aim of consolidating the gains made in providing free primary education in all public schools in the DRC.

Christian BELLA