Kasaï-Central 1: Nearly 30 provincial trainers receive training on the new system for recruiting teachers and principals

The new reform aimed at recruiting teachers and school principals for the EPST (Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education) system is making steady progress in the first three pilot administrative provinces. In the Kasaï-Central 1 educational province, 27 trainers were trained on this new recruitment system based on merit, competence, and transparency. The training took place at the Kamayi Teacher Resource Center over three days, from Monday, February 12, to Wednesday, February 14. According to Ms. Lucie Ndaya, one of the facilitators from Kinshasa, the discussions with participants were fruitful throughout the three days. She remains confident that the training participants will effectively disseminate what they have learned. The provincial director of the Kasaï-Central 1 EPST, Arthur Mputu, who closed the session, asked the “now-trainers” to effectively share what they had learned in their respective communities, to ensure proper adoption of this new EPST reform, which is still in its experimental phase. This training was preceded by an awareness-raising session held in the same venue on Saturday, February 10. Some forty educational professionals took part. The reform of the new system requires that teachers and school principals be recruited through a competitive examination. This is an initiative of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education, implemented by the Human Resources Directorate (DRH) with the support of PERSE (Project for Equity and Strengthening of the Education System), a Congolese government project. The competitive exam will be organized by the subdivisions. For this pilot phase, three provinces are involved: Kinshasa, Kasaï-Central, and Kongo Central. Willy Kambulu