Kasaï: Minister T. Mwaba cancels the provincial minister's decision on the distribution of school operating costs

The National Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Tony Mwaba Kazadi, has objected to the sharing of school operating costs with other educational authorities in Kasai Province, as initiated by the provincial minister of education. In a letter dated March 16 addressed to the provincial minister of education of Kasai, Minister Tony Mwaba ordered the immediate cancellation of this circular due to the violations noted therein with respect to his official instructions conveyed in his memorandum referenced No. MINEPST/CABMIN/571/2023 of May 20, 2023, regarding guidelines on school fees for the 2023–2024 academic year. This memorandum stipulates, among other things, that all school fees automatically constitute operating expenses for public schools. These fees should therefore remain entirely at the disposal of the respective schools to ensure their proper functioning. As a reminder, the allocation recommended by this provincial education authority was as follows: school operations: 40%; support for the needs of NP and NU teachers: 35%, with the remaining 25% distributed among sub-provincial offices, the secondary school pool, sub-provincial coordination/advisory board, SERNIE, the parents’ association, IPP, provincial offices, provincial coordination, DINACOPE, the provincial minister, the provincial government, and the union. Ivan Honoré Mudiangombé