The Kimbanguist Church signs the new Convention scolaire with the Congolese government

The Church of Jesus Christ on Earth, through its Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu, represented by His Eminence Simon Kimbangu Kiangani—who traveled from Nkamba (“New Jerusalem”) in the province of Kongo-Central to the Kimbanguist Welcome Center in Kinshasa, in the commune of Kasa-Vubu—has in turn signed the new School Agreement, on Thursday, November 17, 2022, with the Congolese government, represented by the Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, following the first two waves of religious denominations. In her remarks, Ms. Annie Kimpanga, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Spiritual Leader and Legal Representative of the Kimbanguist Church, first recalled Papa Simon Kimbangu’s commitment to education, which led Papa Diangenda Kutima to establish the network of Kimbanguist schools on January 4, 1960. She then highlighted the significance of this ceremony, which she described as “glorious for Kimbanguist education,” noting that the signing of this agreement will enable Kimbanguist schools to align with the Framework Law on National Education of February 11, 2014. Furthermore, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Spiritual Leader and Legal Representative of the Kimbanguist Church highlighted the achievements made in school construction, despite the difficulties encountered. “Despite the difficulties, the Kimbanguists are doing their best to build schools, universities, and higher education institutions through voluntary financial contributions from Kimbanguist Christians and supporters—not only for the future of Kimbanguist children, but also for the training of future Congolese leaders,” said Annie Kimpanga. She emphasized that currently, the Kimbanguist education network is the first to have supported free primary education without hesitation and includes: 118 preschools, 2,826 primary schools, 1,826 secondary schools, including numerous higher education institutions and universities. She nevertheless sought the support of the head of the EPST, via a set of specifications that was submitted to him, to address the difficulties facing this network.   Taking the floor in turn, Minister Tony Mwaba outlined the circumstances that led to the revision of the School Convention of February 26, 1977, which had become obsolete, unsuitable, and anachronistic in an environment that has undergone many reforms, including the provision of free primary education enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic, and the proliferation of religious denominations. “The President of the Republic, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi, has given clear instructions regarding the mission assigned to the Government through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (EPST), which consists of revitalizing this subsector by combating anti-values and ensuring the sustainability of free primary education. This is why it was necessary to revise the legal framework governing the partnership between the Congolese State and religious denominations in school administration and management,” the minister stated. Professor Tony Mwaba also thanked and commended the staff of the Spiritual Leader of the Kimbanguist Church for their contribution to the discussions on revising this Convention, which were very constructive. He also thanked the Kimbanguist school network, which spared no effort to ensure the seamless implementation of free primary education. Christian BELLA