The Minister of Education officially launched a school year 2022-2023 in Kayanza Province on Monday September 12th, 2022.
The new school year 2022-2013 kick started nationwide. The ceremonies were led up by the Minister of education and scientific research, François Havyarimana in Matongo commune, Kayanza Province in Northen Burundi.
In his speech he said that one thousand new teachers are expected to be hired very soon.
François Havyarimana urged all applicants to prepare for the test.
“They will be asked about technique studies and what they will teach pupils”, said Havyarimana.
The school year comes while the country is facing high inflation due to fuel shortages affecting school materials. The latter’s prices have almost doubled.
On the market places, so far, one hundred-page copybook costs over BIF 2,000 weighed to BIF 1300 of the previous school year.
At Librarie Saint Paul, it costs around BIF 3,000.
As school materials became expensive, some associations have managed to assist some pupils who cannot afford them.
OIDEB (Observatoire Ineza des Droits de l’Enfant au Burundi in French) NGO has granted basic school materials to over 250 kids including Batwa ethnic group, street children and the most vulnerable.
The families were also offered the cards for health insurance.
The beneficiaries families saluted the charitable actions.
“We are happy to have these school materials,” one of the parents said.
They also ask the organization to continue supporting them in terms of mitigating dropouts.
PARCEM (Association for change advocacy) calls on the government of Burundi to strategically support the education of Burundi.
Faustin Ndikumana the representative of PARCEM said this following the observation of insufficient school materials.
“A country can hardly develop when people don’t have sufficient knowledge,” said Faustin Ndikumana to a local newspaper.
“Manufacturing gold is so difficult for Burundians and high technology is not sufficient,” he added.
He said it is pitiful that the Government isn’t doing enough for the betterment of education.
“The government should spend sufficient money in this sector of education as it was agreed in the previous cabinet meeting,” he added.
On Monday a lot of pupils were cleaning their classrooms. Few schools had begun their studies.
The launching of the school year 2022-2023 drives within six- month period of fuel scarcity across the country. Parents along with pupils fear morning transport headaches.
“Our children will have to wake up early to work for over two hours to reach their schools as they have to commute to school by bus,” said a parent living Musama I, in Kanyosha, south of Bujumbura capital city.
For Chaude Ndayiziga, if the fuel scarcity persists, he will be obliged to pay a taxi every day.
“I have planned accordingly, if I got to queue on the pump, I will have taxi fees for my kids,” he said.
Other families have opted to hire private chauffeurs, between six to eight children share one and he is paid per month.
Each child is charged around BIF 80,000 or BIF 120,000 depending on the distance from home to school.
