(image from: World Bank / Vincent Tremeau)
A classroom in Congo is not always one with four walls and unlimited resources for learning. Often, it is children sitting under trees, sharing their pencils and listening to an older sibling who has taught themselves the basics of mathematics. Yet, despite these challenges, education in Congo has remained a symbol of hope and resilience among families and the youth, proving to be a source of power that drives the future forward.
As a result of prioritizing elite schooling during colonial rule, this system has been inherited over time and is now a factor in the situation in the DRC. Economic decline and policy adjustments after independence left education underfunded and with a lack of attention, and the school system weakened over the years 1. As a result of the dwindling system, today’s crisis is not just a result of recent conflict, but rather an issue deeply rooted in systematic failure.
For decades, poverty and conflict have disrupted and pushed down the rates at which education is achieved among children in the DRC. Even when physical locations for schools exist, several are damaged and overcrowded, especially struggling with a lack of teachers.
According to UNESCO, the primary education completion rate was at an average of 82.5% between boys and girls2. With numbers dropping sharply after that, the completion rates for lower secondary education are only over half for girls, and around 63% for boys. For tertiary education, 5% of women and 8% of men were enrolled in 2020, leaving millions without adequate learning to pursue work and a better future.
Armed violence has displaced millions of children, forcing them into refugee camps with an even greater lack of educational resources. In fact, UNICEF data shows that over 6.5 million people, including 2.6 million children, are displaced in this region3. Because of the destruction that has come upon schools, almost 800,000 children are being deprived of an education just in North and South Kivu. When combined with the data from Ituri Province, this number skyrockets to 1.6 million children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo who are now out of school.
Even if children may gain access to schooling, the challenge remains of the quality of learning. Congo faces extreme teacher shortages, with even the existing teachers not having adequate training. This means that even the few who get to attend have a limited quality of education, depriving them of a fair chance of pursuing higher learning. Moreover, the inadequate compensation teachers receive drives the crisis even lower. Salaries are notably low, with primary and secondary education staff earning about $100 per month4. This compels teachers to seek other sources of income, diverting their focus from education to a job to properly provide for themselves and their families. Statistics show that for one qualified educator, there are multiple classrooms without any staff5.
Despite these struggles, Congolese communities have come together to show strong resilience. Volunteers, parents, and teachers have created informal classrooms in churches, refugee camps, or open spaces to encourage the continuation of learning. In many places, young people who have managed to stay in school step up to help children, ensuring no child is left behind and making the most of their time to keep learning alive. In some areas, older students step in as tutors, sharing what they know to ensure younger children don’t fall behind. These efforts reflect remarkable persistence and hopefulness in a time of distress.
As an effort by the Congolese government to address the education crisis, the government launched a free primary schooling policy in September 2019, taking a step towards removing tuition barriers for children6. Though the implementation of this is not without struggle -including corruption- the DRC remains committed to the policy, increasing the cut of their federal budget that goes to education. In fact, between 2017 and 2021, the budget rose from 11.6% to 21.8%, followed by a national census to identify teachers to provide better salaries. This has given rise to the enrollments in primary and secondary schools across the country, with data showing at least 3 million additional enrollments7.
Moreover, several organizations such as BEBUC and the Global Partnership for Education have worked alongside local educators to train teachers and rebuild education structures. They have promoted the development of learning centers, even if they are not in the form of a physical school building. Not only do these efforts restore education, but they also protect children from being pulled into armed groups. Education in the DRC has become more than just learning; instead, it is hope, protection, and support for those traumatized by violence. The endeavors taken by the DRC communities, whomever they may be, have contributed to a step towards a stronger future.
Written by Vedica Chudiwale
1 https://doi.org/10.23916/0020230845230
2 https://www.iicba.unesco.org/en/congo-democratic-republic-drc
3https://www.unicef.ch/en/current/news/2025-02-17/drc-violence-and-displacement-deprive-hundreds-thousands-children-schooling
4 https://laboursolidarity.org/en/africa/n/3279/the-struggles-of-teachers-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo?
5https://teachertaskforce.org/blog/how-teachers-keep-students-learning-one-most-difficult-places-world-go-school?
6 https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/free-primary-schooling-drc-where-we-are-road-reform?
7 https://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/covid-19-school-closures-drc-impact-health-protection-and-education