Kongo-Central 2 / RAP 2023 closing: Recommendations include improving teacher pay and staffing levels

The Annual Performance Review (RAP) meetings concluded on Friday, August 4, in all educational provinces under the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) throughout the Republic. In the Kongo Central 2 educational province, facilitators, managers, and technical and financial partners from the EPST subsector reviewed all the issues likely to hinder the smooth operation of education within their jurisdiction. To this end, potential solutions and measures to be taken were proposed by the participants, including several deputy provincial directors. These include the construction of sustainable infrastructure by the government, as well as improvements in teacher staffing levels and salaries, according to Édouard Basiba, chair of the Access Subcommittee. “I led the Access Subcommittee, which focuses on children’s entry into and enrollment in school. We conducted an assessment. We proposed potential solutions, notably raising parents’ awareness of the importance of their children’s education,” he said. He added, “At the provincial and national levels, the state has a responsibility to build school infrastructure, hire teachers, and pay them. It is not normal for there to be schools with classes of 120 students; that is not normal.” The provincial director of Kongo Central 2, Jean Tshisekedi Kabasele, for his part, commended the participants’ engagement and the quality of their work. As a reminder, this meeting took place from Wednesday, August 2, to Friday, August 4. Its objective is to pave the way for the Annual Performance Review at the national level. The latter will compile all the recommendations made at the provincial level, with the aim of ensuring a peaceful 2023–2024 school year. Dan de Dieu Kayanda