Burundi invests in education

2005-09-15 13:29

Esdras Ndikumana

Bujumbura - Primary schools in impoverished Burundi are expecting a jostle for placements on next week's opening day after the new government, which was sworn in last month, introduced free primary education.

Education officials predict a near double enrolment figure when schools re-open next Monday, while the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) said access to primary schools will shoot from 56% of the age group in 2003 to 100%.

"The ministry of education predicts that about 500 000 children will be enrolled in grade one after this decision, while before we had about 266 000 new enrolments," said Burundi's director of primary schools Reverien Gahungu.

Lack of staff and facilities

During his inauguration in August, President Pierre Nkurunziza announced free basic education as part of plans to rebuild the tiny Central African state that has been devastated by 12 years of civil war.

But with the expected influx, Nkurunziza's education plan faces high hurdles owing to lack of enough staff and facilities.

"Regarding human and material resources, this influx of pupils means that we have to quickly construct 2 400 new classrooms, 2 400 new teachers as well as blackboards, offices not forgetting hundreds of thousands of desks an school books," Gahungu said.

In addition, the government needs a total of 5 300 new teachers and 5 400 classrooms to cater for the primary education requirement, he added.

Gahungu explained that the government has allocated 110 million Burundian Francs ($ 99 575) to be added to the fees earlier paid by the pupils before the introduction of free primary education.

"The fees amounted to 1.8 billion Burundian Francs ($1.6m) and will be compensated by the government," Gahungu added.

According to Unicef, the surge in school enrolment will cost Bujumbura an extra $8m.

Many problems

"We are deprived. These are problems piling up on (other) problems that we already have," lamented Pascal Ndikumana, head of education personnel in the western Bujumbura rural province.

Ndikumana said last year there were about 150 pupils per class in the province and with the new enrolment, the number "will double or triple in the first years" describing the dearth of resources as "a crying lack of everything".

However, Gahungu said from Thursday next week, the education ministry will recruit 3 500 new teachers and they would use the existing structures for classrooms, including churches and tents.

"No one knows now whether it will work, it will depend on donors and the will of Burundians," Barbara Jamar, Unicef's spokesperson in Burundi said.

The Unicef said it would give Burundi a $4.2m assistance to cater for the purchase of uniforms, rehabilitation of schools and training of teachers.

- AFP