Kongo-Central: Tony Mwaba inquires about pupils' learning conditions

The Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, continues his field visits to actively address the demands of the Head of State, who is committed to ensuring quality education throughout the country. On Thursday, January 26, 2023, he visited several schools in the Moanda territory of Kongo-Central to assess students’ learning conditions. The minister also plans to hold a meeting on Friday, January 27, with all school inspectors in the province as part of the relaunch of the inspection trilogy.

The first stop on the visit was Banza School in the Moanda territory, where several programs are offered, including Fisheries, which remains the only one of its kind in the city. In the 8th-grade humanities class, the head of the EPST noted that the classroom lacks flooring and a proper roof. The students lack teaching materials, and their teacher was absent. The provincial inspectors, through their reports, informed the minister that this is a widespread situation.

Without delay, Professor Tony Mwaba instructed the Secretary General of the EPST and local officials to take disciplinary action against the principal of this school.

Immediately afterward, the head of the EPST visited Groupe Scolaire Horizon, a private school located in the same area. At this school, Professor Tony Mwaba was satisfied with the conditions of the facility but noted the absence of the flag. He directly called on the school’s principal to enforce his decision to require the student body to salute the flag and sing the national anthem daily.

The next stop on the minister’s tour was E.P. GS COM, formerly Athénée Royal, a complex with more than 17 classrooms and dormitories that is one of the most renowned schools in Kongo-Central, managed by the Catholic Church. Professor Tony Mwaba praised the quality of education and signed a guestbook to mark his visit to the school.

The final stop took the head of the EPST to E.P. Nsumbu Mankumbu, a Salvation Army school in a state of disrepair that is detrimental to the students’ education. Minister Tony Mwaba reiterated the necessity of sustainable conditions that must be mandatory for every school, both public and private, in order to provide students with proper learning conditions. On the spot, he issued a deadline for administrators to meet to avoid being removed from the list of mechanized schools due to lack of viability.

At the conclusion of his inspection visits, the Minister of EPST returned to the city of Boma, where he is staying with his delegation, to prepare for a large-scale working session that will bring together all school inspectors from this part of the country. The meeting is scheduled for Friday, January 27, 2023, with a primary focus on: revitalizing the inspection system to improve the quality of education.

"We want to revitalize school inspection so that it can fully fulfill its role, because it is the instrument on which we rely for the quality of education," said Professor Tony Mwaba.

Christian BELLA