Tony Mwaba launches the online reference directory of approved and viable private schools

Shortly after returning from Geneva, the Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, launched the online directory of accredited and viable private schools throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. This launch follows the release of the directory of public schools.     The DRC has never seen such an innovation in its history. This directory, initiated by Minister Tony Mwaba, meets the requirements of good governance in the EPST sub-sector, as has always been the wish of the President of the Republic, Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who is committed to improving the quality of education after successfully consolidating and ensuring the long-term sustainability of free primary education.   “As of today, anyone who wants to know the number of accredited private schools operating in our country and their locations need only click on this link to find them. There is a decree establishing the reference directory of accredited private schools,” stated the head of the EPST. Regarding the statistics, the minister emphasized that of the 4,056 schools surveyed across the entire country, only 1,953 are viable, while 2,103 are non-viable—nearly half of all accredited private schools.   Professor Tony Mwaba, who lamented this reality, also pointed out that these are “schools operating in homes—three-room apartments—others next to churches or within church compounds.   “In the morning, it’s school, and in the evening, the same desks are used for worship and even prayer vigils. Other schools operate next to bars, liquor stores, and even nightclubs,” the minister said indignantly.   The head of the EPST then noted that 1,025 accredited private schools are operating without ministerial decrees and 605 are operating with forged decrees. He also lamented the fact that 473 are operating with reduced enrollment. He therefore pointed out that, normally and according to legal and regulatory requirements, these schools should not be operating.   "For non-viable schools, their operators are asked to contact the General Secretariat to ascertain the status of their schools and bring them into compliance. A moratorium is granted to non-viable schools to allow them to meet legal, regulatory, and viability requirements. From now on, there will be an annual update of the directory of public and private schools to allow parents to enroll their children in schools recognized by the Congolese government. If you send your child to an unrecognized school, you alone will be responsible for the consequences," he stated. For Minister Tony Mwaba, this directory is updated for the benefit of education officials, technical partners, and financial partners, to enable them to know which public or private school to collaborate with.   The man behind major innovations has promised that soon he will introduce another innovation by making the geolocation data for all public and private schools available online, allowing users to easily check the operational status of each school. Similarly, another directory will be launched in the coming days, listing ministerial decrees signed by national ministers following their publication in the official gazette.   As the guest of honor, Serge Muambay Katamba, Secretary General of the National Association of Promoters of Accredited Private Schools (ASONEPA), also welcomed the initiative by the head of the EPST, as it will enable his organization to effectively monitor its members. He urged all school operators whose institutions are not listed to take advantage of the six-month moratorium granted to them to comply with the ministry’s requirements. The ceremony, which took place in the ministry’s conference room, was also attended by the Deputy Minister of EPST, the Secretary General of EPST, and the National Director of the National Directorate for Teacher Payroll Control and Preparation (DINACOPE). Christian BELLA