Kinshasa: President Tshisekedi insists on patriotism in children's education

The implementation of free public primary education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi’s first term is an achievement that must be consolidated to ensure access to education for all school-age children. This reform, implemented since 2019, has relieved parents of the burden of paying any form of tuition fees for their children. On Monday, September 16, 2024, Head of State Felix Tshisekedi, accompanied by the Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship (EDU-NC) Raïssa Malu, visited Kamina School in the commune of Kalamu and Tshatshi Camp School in the commune of Ngaliema, where he observed the implementation of free public primary education under his leadership. At Kamina Primary School (EP 1 and 2 Yolo-Nord), which is the very first official public school in the DRC, built in 1945, the Head of State shared a brief lesson on citizenship with some students before addressing some of their challenges. Also, at Camp Tshatshi Primary School, President Tshisekedi sought to reassure military parents of his commitment to ensuring their children’s education. This school has buildings that were renovated thanks to the Head of State’s support as part of the “100 Days” project. During this tour, which he initiated to mark the start of the school year, the nation’s leader called on schools across the DRC to prioritize teaching patriotism in the Congo. Attentive to the needs of the children and teaching staff at this school, he reaffirmed his commitment to improving teachers’ salaries, particularly the bonus for providing free education. “During our conversation with the Head of State, he called on Congolese teachers to place great emphasis on teaching the concepts of patriotism and love among Congolese patriots, one of the conditions for fostering our country’s development. We also raised the issue of our salaries, which no longer keep pace with the cost of living, and the imbalance in the payment of the free education bonus. He promised to address these issues to provide greater relief,” said Léonard Itongo, principal of Kamina Primary School. To date, free public primary education is steadily making progress. It has enabled millions of children to return to school. The Head of State, who reiterated his determination to promote direct dialogue with students and school officials, emphasized the irreversibility of free primary education. This definitive achievement will be consolidated and soon extended to secondary education. Moreover, he reaffirmed his commitment to improving the education system, thanks to the dynamism of his government, which is working to renovate, maintain, and construct new school buildings as part of the ongoing grassroots development program across 145 territories, thereby providing students and teachers with optimal working conditions. Willy Kambulu