Signing of a decree structuring the management of school mapping

The Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship, has signed a ministerial decree establishing the procedures for issuing decisions (decrees) regarding the creation, accreditation, and restructuring of public and private preschool, primary, and secondary schools throughout the country.

This decree marks an important step in the modernization of the governance of the Congolese education system. It provides the country with a unified, clear, and legally secure procedural framework designed to improve the planning, regulation, and management of the school district map.

The text is fully consistent with the existing national legal framework. It complies with the Constitution of the Republic, particularly regarding the distribution of powers between the central government and the provinces. It is also aligned with Framework Law No. 14/004 of February 11, 2014, on national education, as well as with the ministerial decrees adopted in March 2025 regarding the criteria and procedures for establishing schools and administrative offices.

Through this decree, the Government consolidates into a single regulatory instrument administrative practices previously governed by outdated circulars and internal memos, dating notably from 1979 and 2003. This regulatory update strengthens legal certainty for education stakeholders—developers, administrators, decentralized services, and provincial authorities—and addresses a long-standing lack of clarity in the management of the school zoning map.

Beyond legal alignment, the decree introduces harmonized, traceable, and time-bound procedures at every stage of case processing. It sets specific deadlines for the review of applications and clearly defines the responsibilities of the various levels of administration, from local structures to the central level. This organizational framework strengthens administrative accountability, improves the transparency of decisions, and helps combat arbitrariness and informal practices, in line with internationally recognized principles of good governance.

By signing this decree, the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship reaffirms its commitment to building a more transparent, equitable, and predictable educational administration, serving communities, schools, and learners. This text marks a key milestone in the modernization of the public education system and in strengthening trust between the administration and its users.

Kinshasa, December 30, 2025

The Communications Unit