The steering committee for educational projects validates the PEQIP, PAAF and PERSE 2025 PTBAs.

The members of the steering committee for educational projects, chaired by the Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship, and attended by the Minister of State for Planning, Guylain Nyembo, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Gracia Yamba Kazadi, and a representative of the Presidency, approved on Tuesday, August 19, the 2025 Annual Work Plans and Budgets (PTBA) for three projects, namely: the Project for the Improvement of Primary Education Quality (PEQIP), the Girls’ Learning and Empowerment Project (PAAF), and the Project for Equity and Strengthening of the Education System (PERSE). The meeting was held at the Fleuve Congo Hotel in the Gombe district of Kinshasa. These projects now have the government approval required to implement and finance the activities planned for 2025. However, several constraints have led to budget adjustments during implementation, resulting in significant variances due to technical and operational difficulties. For example, Component 1 of the PEQIP, dedicated to access to improved learning environments, has seen its budget drastically reduced, from $3,492,131 to just $927,626, representing a negative variance of $2,564,505. Ms. Wali Belade, PEQIP coordinator, also reported a significant decrease for Component 2, dedicated to improving teacher effectiveness. Its budget has dropped from $17,108,569 to $7,427,127, a reduction of $9,681,442. The procurement of textbooks, a central element of this component, alone saw a decrease of more than $8.5 million due to prolonged procurement delays caused by new guidelines. In light of these difficulties, the steering committee expressed regret over the procedural change initiated by the World Bank without prior notification. It was decided that the government will contact the World Bank to request a readjustment of the deadlines for the affected activities, in order to preserve the allocated funds. Furthermore, the secretaries-general of the relevant ministries (National Education and New Citizenship, Higher and University Education, Vocational Training, and Social Affairs) have been tasked with working closely with the project teams to accelerate the implementation of planned activities.

“The provinces targeted by the projects must be able to receive support without hindrance. The secretaries-general are therefore obligated to help you overcome any administrative obstacles so that you can implement the projects without interference. For our part, we will work with the Minister of Finance and SPACE to resolve issues that fall under the donors’ purview, in order to accelerate activities. We are counting on you. The funds made available to you—which, incidentally, are ours since they come from loans and taxes—must be used solely for the activities for which they are intended,” urged Minister of State Raïssa Malu, Chair of the Steering Committee for Educational Projects.

It should be noted that certain projects, such as EFFICACE and MOLAKISI TELEMA, have not received approval to implement or finance the activities planned for 2025. Another meeting will be scheduled to review their 2025 PTBA. Willy Kambulu and Cephora Kokanzo