President Tshisekedi at the UN: "Efforts are continuing to make free primary education permanent in the DRC".

During his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, September 25, at the 79th session of the UN, the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, addressed the issue of the effectiveness of free primary education in his country.  The head of state expressed satisfaction that this flagship initiative, implemented during his first five-year term, has enabled more than 4 million children to enroll in school. He emphasized that efforts are continuing to ensure the sustainability of free education. This will be possible thanks to the ongoing efforts to address the challenges arising from this policy, including overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of school infrastructure, and the already underway improvement of teachers’ working conditions.

"Since 2019, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has implemented an ambitious reform to ensure free primary education, enabling nearly 4 million children to enroll in school," stated Felix Antoine Tshisekedi.

Since the implementation of free education, several improvements are worth noting in the National Education and New Citizenship sub-sector to ensure access to education for Congolese children. School infrastructure is being built in various parts of the country, and teachers’ salaries are gradually increasing. Furthermore, the Congolese government, through the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship, plans to implement a new sectoral strategy for education and training to address the various challenges undermining this sub-sector, which is so vital to the Congolese nation. Aphy Nzanga