Haut-Katanga: launch of a workshop to improve school transition for girls and vulnerable children

The director of the Haut-Katanga Educational Province, Mr. Joseph Mwinkeu Tshiend, opened a six-day workshop in Likasi to develop tools aimed at facilitating school access, inclusion, retention, and transition for girls and vulnerable children in the region’s primary and secondary schools. Organized with technical and financial support from Enabel through its Edubase project, this workshop brings together officials from the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship, Social Affairs, and Gender, Family, and Children of Haut-Katanga. The objective is to identify factors that hinder the school retention of these vulnerable children, develop a plan for academic and vocational support and guidance, and design an advocacy and awareness-raising plan. According to Mr. Aimé Bizaza, the lead facilitator of the workshop for Enabel’s Edubase project, this work will result in a mapping of factors influencing school retention and transition, a plan to reduce the risk of dropout, and pilot tools for collecting and sharing data on these issues. In his opening remarks, the director of the educational province, Joseph Mwinkeu Tshiend, highlighted the many challenges facing his jurisdiction, including a lack of school infrastructure, the financial inability of some parents, and regional conflicts.

 “Although free public primary education was introduced in 2019, households continue to discourage the enrollment of girls and vulnerable children. This workshop is therefore part of a commitment to justice, equality, and respect for the rights of all,” he said.

At the conclusion of these six days of intensive work, participants are expected to produce concrete tools to sustainably improve school retention and transition in Haut-Katanga1. Célestin Zeula