Facing the PTFs, Tony Mwaba advocates a permanent dialogue for a good coordination of actions at EPST.

The Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, convened a meeting in his office with all representatives of the Technical and Financial Partners (TFPs), led by Laura Mazal, Director of Development at the British Embassy in the DRC, Representative of the Technical and Financial Partners, to discuss the coordination of the actions they are carrying out in this sub-sector. This meeting allowed all Technical and Financial Partners to express their commitment to joint coordination of projects and initiatives to support the Government of the DRC through the Ministry of EPST, in line with its priorities and needs. They stated their readiness to define a shared roadmap with the government on the actions to be taken.   "We came here to discuss with the Minister how to strengthen coordination and dialogue on public policies for primary and secondary education with our colleagues from the European Union, UNICEF, and Belgium. So we agreed on the idea of strengthening coordination and establishing a roadmap that aligns the Government’s efforts with those of the Technical and Financial Partners to monitor progress and determine how to continue expanding access to education for all Congolese children,” stated Laura Mazal, in her capacity as Representative of the Technical and Financial Partners. The Representative then noted that the Technical and Financial Partners are satisfied with the achievements made in consolidating and ensuring the sustainability of free primary education, and intend to go further to improve learning conditions in both primary and secondary schools. In his remarks, Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi commended the actions taken by the Technical and Financial Partners in supporting the Government, particularly regarding the implementation of free primary education in public schools. He also noted the construction of school infrastructure and the donation of desks in certain provinces by the partners.   The head of the EPST nevertheless lamented the lack of information regarding all these initiatives, a shortfall caused by the lack of dialogue between the Technical and Financial Partners and the Ministry.   “This prevents me from knowing what is being done and from advocating for these efforts at the government level. This requires the development of a roadmap and the mapping of all these initiatives,” explained Professor Tony Mwaba. The minister noted that there is a tendency for projects to be concentrated in certain provinces at the expense of others, carried out by the same partners. This is where he revisited what he had said in Geneva at the Education Cannot Wait (ECW) Conference, referring to the concentration of PTF activities in the provinces of Tanganyika, Ituri, and Kasaï-Central.   On this issue, Professor Tony Mwaba urged his counterparts to align on-the-ground actions with the country’s needs and priorities. This led him to call for ongoing dialogue to channel projects effectively. He also emphasized that it is in the partners’ best interest to ensure the visibility of their actions, which can only be achieved through his leadership.   Consequently, the Minister of EPST asked the PTFs to establish a schedule with his staff, both within the Cabinet and at the EPST’s central administration, to ensure regular meetings—even via videoconference with the provinces—to strengthen coordination and revive dialogue so that they can jointly monitor actions on the ground.