Sama Lukonde launches the digital tool for monitoring the effectiveness of teachers' pay and welcomes Tony Mwaba's initiative

Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, head of the government, launched on Monday, July 10, 2023, a digital tool to monitor the timely payment of teachers’ salaries and operational expenses in the field—a software program developed by the National Directorate for Control, Payroll Preparation, and Management of Teacher and Administrative Staff Numbers in Educational Institutions (DINACOPE)—initiated by the Minister of Primary, Secondary and Technical Education (EPST), Professor Tony Mwaba Kazadi. The event took place at the Fleuve Congo Hotel, in the presence of the Head of State’s Special Advisor on Education, payroll operators, and educational partners.

The head of the EPST presented the benefits of this digital tool in a presentation given during the ceremony. Professor Tony Mwaba explained that users simply need to go to www.dinacoperdc.com and click on the Pay Tracking tab to closely monitor the status of their monthly pay in the field, as the government has no delays in paying teachers. The minister also highlighted the situation in certain parts of the country where access to banking services is problematic due to limitations of certain providers, and where teachers, due to a lack of information, make lengthy trips to payroll sites, resulting in a decline in the quality of education.

"This tool enables efficient, real-time monitoring of the various stages of teacher salary payments and the operating expenses allocated to schools; identifies all entities involved in the various payroll operations; directs appropriate corrective actions when one of these entities encounters difficulties; to evaluate the performance of payroll operators in the field, taking into account their capacity to cover all relevant entities and the time required to process payroll for the staff under their responsibility; to inform other entities, such as the Central Bank of Congo, the payroll monitoring committee, and even the Congolese Banking Association, regarding the operational capabilities of payroll operators; to inform paying banks headquartered in Kinshasa regarding the start, completion, or non-execution of payroll by their branches in the provinces or territories; finally, to obtain information on the quality of services provided by operators to teachers, particularly regarding payroll processing timelines," stated the head of the EPST.

The minister took the same opportunity to also present to the Prime Minister and the audience the other platforms available on the DINACOPE website, such as the database identifying students throughout the DRC; the directory of mechanized public schools; the directory of accredited private schools; the directory of decrees; the directory of retired teachers and those eligible for retirement; the platform for the geographic location of schools; as well as the directory of official instructions.

"These innovations are part of our commitment to transparency and social accountability," said Professor Tony Mwaba.

All these achievements earned the congratulations of Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde. He commended the commendable efforts of the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education in digitizing his sub-sector.

"It is with satisfaction that I followed the presentation of the digital tool for monitoring the effectiveness of teacher payroll and operating expenses allocated to public schools and administrative offices. Here, I would like to thank the minister for going the extra mile, which allowed me to discover not only the tool that is currently in use but also the other applications," stated the head of government.

The Prime Minister also praised Minister Tony Mwaba’s dynamism in consolidating and ensuring the sustainability of free public primary education. He called on the staff and managers involved in the teacher payroll process to support this program of President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, and urged operators to redouble their efforts to improve monthly payroll.

Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde finally reaffirmed his commitment to stand by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and to support it.