Thanks to the dynamism of Tony Mwaba, the DRC now has its first digital school map

For the first time since independence, the Democratic Republic of the Congo now has its first digital school map accessible from anywhere in the world, thanks to a geolocation platform for the country’s accredited public and private schools, developed by the Ministry of Primary, Secondary, and Technical Education (EPST) through its technical department, DINACOPE (formerly SECOPE). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Vital Kamerhe Lwakaninginyi, who officially launched the tool online on behalf of the Prime Minister, who was away on business, congratulated Minister Tony Mwaba Kazadi on this major innovation in his sector. This took place during a ceremony held on Monday, May 29, 2023, in the meeting room of Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana, in the Gombe district.

The platform was presented by the Minister of EPST, who noted that users need only type www.secoperdc.com into their browser to access a dashboard displaying nine tabs with varied content: Payroll File Inquiry, Statistical Data, Payroll Tracking, Directory of Computerized Public Institutions, Directory of Viable Accredited Private Schools, Student Identification File, Directory of Authentic Decrees, the Pensions menu, and finally the Geolocation tab, which was the focus of today’s ceremony. On site, a demonstration was given using a video projector, convincing the audience of the platform’s importance.

"This is an electronic process that allows for the precise positioning or location of schools, including their geographic coordinates, photos, and administrative information," explained Professor Tony Mwaba.

The head of the EPST praised the dedication shown by DINACOPE staff in the field for collecting all the data on geolocated schools in just 45 days, despite the vast expanse of the DRC, often described as a "country-continent." He also emphasized that the administrative information for each geolocated school and their geographic coordinates were collected using an application entirely developed by DINACOPE, one of the key technical departments of the Ministry of EPST.

"This high-quality tool, which has definitively put an end to the issue of so-called 'fictitious' schools, is the ideal solution designed and implemented by DINACOPE, whose expertise and courage I commend here, despite their very limited financial resources," he stated.

After witnessing a live demonstration, Deputy Minister and Minister of National Economy Vital Kamerhe, who personally represented the Prime Minister, delivered a speech praising the Minister of EPST and DINACOPE for this outstanding achievement, which brings a significant improvement to the digital governance of his sub-sector. He invited other ministries, as well as the various heads of public services and institutions, to follow this example.

"This initiative should inspire all ministries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," he said.

The representative of the head of government finally noted that the digital mapping of both public and accredited private schools now available in the DRC would have been difficult to achieve in the past. He expressed the hope that the entire education community would embrace this tool.

Christian BELLA