Eglise de Réveil du Congo Day: EPST General Secretary vetoes and calls for compliance with instructions on school activities

Christine Nepa-Nepa, Secretary General of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), has vetoed the plan and called on the organizers of the Congo Revival Church event to comply with the ministry’s guidelines regarding the organization of school activities.  Indeed, messages circulating on social media, in particular, mention a fee of 2,000 Congolese francs being demanded from parents for the student parade, scheduled for Thursday, October 19, 2023, at the Esplanade of the People’s Palace in Kinshasa. In a letter sent this Thursday to the legal representative of the ERC, the Head of Administration at the EPST reiterates that any activity not included in the school calendar must be authorized in advance by the supervising minister. "This is on the condition that it does not disrupt the number of school days specified in Section VII.1 of the 2023-2024 school calendar. Similarly, it is strictly prohibited to require parents to pay additional fees beyond those listed in the Governor’s provincial decree," emphasized Christine Nepa-Nepa. As a reminder, the ERC is among the signatories of the new Agreement on the Management of Public Schools. This agreement between the State and the churches, which manage charter schools, stipulates, among other things, the obligation to comply with the school calendar and the various educational standards governing national education. Moïse Dianyishayi