Improving the quality of teaching: Tony Mwaba launches teacher recruitment competition

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, launched the teacher recruitment competition and the promotion process for principals of public schools—a first in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ceremony took place at the I.T.I. Ndjili, in the Kinshasa-Tshangu educational province.

Several candidates have been selected for this competition, which is open only to those who will distinguish themselves in the three pilot provinces. For example, Kinshasa registered 5,578 candidates, including 2,343 women, or 42%. Kongo-Central registered 6,075 candidates, including 2,432 women, or 40%. In Kasaï-Central, registration and application processing will continue until March 7, and the exam will take place on March 9. So far, 2,284 candidates have been registered in this province.

According to Minister Tony Mwaba, the goal is to improve the quality of learning—a vision of the Head of State aimed at raising the standard of education in the country to ensure children receive a good education.

"Since the implementation of free primary education, technical and financial partners, particularly the World Bank, have supported us in the PERSE project, which has introduced a number of reforms addressing various aspects of our sectoral strategy, notably the quality of education. The quality of education depends on a qualified teaching staff to ensure the quality of teaching and learning. Until now, teacher recruitment was based on subjective criteria, carried out randomly, offering no assurance whatsoever of the quality of education that must be provided to our children," stated the head of the EPST.

The minister announced that this competitive exam is now a mandatory requirement for recruiting teachers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those who pass, he said, will have their names kept on file so that they can be called upon as needed, specifically if there is a position to fill.

"When we need to recruit teachers, we will draw from this database of teachers who participated in the exam, passed, and hold a certificate of completion. We will also integrate this database into DINACOPE so that if a public primary school attempts to hire a teacher outside of this database, the system will automatically reject the application and it will not be processed," he emphasized.

Finally, Professor Tony Mwaba noted that this measure applies not only to public schools but also to those in the private sector. He therefore warned school operators who might attempt to circumvent this new method of recruiting teachers.

"What we are saying also applies to private schools. That is also where, so to speak, the pool of unqualified teachers lies. This database will also be used for private schools. All private school operators working alongside the government must do so in compliance with the laws and official instructions of the ministry. If you have a private school that has been authorized to operate, you must draw your teachers from the roster of teachers who were recruited through competitive exams. We want to ensure the quality of education, whether in the public or private sector. Any school operator who does not comply with this will be required to close and pursue other activities," the minister emphasized.

Christian BELLA