Lubumbashi: Tony Mwaba launches the distribution of State diplomas, 2015 edition, and announces the availability of those for the 2021 and 2022 editions.

The Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, officially launched the distribution of the 2015 state diplomas during a ceremony held on Friday, June 23, 2023, in the Yrma Hall in Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga Province. The event was attended by the Provincial Minister of Education and several stakeholders from her sub-sector.

Joseph Muinkeu Tshiend, Director of the Haut-Katanga 1 Educational Province, spoke first to welcome the head of the EPST on behalf of his jurisdiction. He recognized in him the qualities of a good manager who has successfully overcome challenges in the Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education sub-sector.

Speaking second, Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi emphasized that this state diploma award ceremony had resolved the significant backlog from the 2015 cohort—an impromptu remark made on the spot, far removed from prepared speeches.

"We are in this room for the launch of the distribution of these diplomas, the 2015 cohort. This symbolic presentation, as I believe we did in Kinshasa, resolves a problem we inherited when we were placed at the head of this ministry. Many graduates have suffered as a result, both at universities abroad and here at home. Some were not admitted to university. Today is 2023, and this problem has just been resolved. This is to bring a smile back to the faces of these graduates. Perhaps the damage caused by this delay cannot be repaired, unfortunately. But better late than never. This is a situation we inherited; as I’ve said, and in the interest of the continuity of the state, we couldn’t complain. We had to act, and today, it’s been done,” he stated.

It is in this spirit that the National Minister of EPST has committed to also resolving the issue of other academic credentials—namely, report cards and diplomas—that are printed during his term. This led him to announce, on this occasion, that the 2021 state diplomas are available and that each Chief Provincial Inspector (CPI) must make arrangements for their distribution. The same applies to the 2022 state diplomas, which have already been made available in warehouses by the ministry’s supplier.

"We will organize the distribution so that these diplomas reach the educational provinces very quickly and can be handed out to the recipients. This initiative has allowed us to return to our former good practices. That is, at the end of each school year, a student must immediately, on the day of the announcement or the days following, be able to receive their report card directly. This means that after a certification exam, such as the State Exam, the graduating student must receive their diploma in record time to embark on their academic or professional career. We have therefore succeeded in a challenge," said Professor Tony Mwaba.

At the conclusion of his remarks, the head of the EPST revisited the two missions entrusted to him by the President of the Republic when he was elevated to the rank of minister. The first objective is to consolidate and ensure the long-term sustainability of free public primary education throughout the entire national territory. And the second is the revitalization of the EPST sub-sector through a relentless fight against all forms of corruption, which serves as a guidepost for the return to fully free education from primary school through university, as was the case in earlier eras.

"Whether we like it or not, it must be recalled that Article 43 was enshrined in the 2006 Constitution, decreeing free primary education. But it wasn’t until 2019 that this provision of the Constitution came into effect. And so free education was made a reality through the political will of President Félix Tshisekedi Thshilombo,” he said.

To combine business with pleasure, a skit was performed by the “Nzembela” theater group, which highlighted the benefits of free education and the major achievements of Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi at the helm of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education.

In keeping with tradition, shortly before the ceremony, the National Minister of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education, Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi, was received by the Governor of Haut-Katanga, Jacques Kyabula, to pay his respects.

Christian BELLA