“The learning level is gradually decreasing in Burundi schools,” worries Edouard Ndikumasabo, the national representative of parents. It was on the occasion of the International Education Day celebrated on 24 January each year.
Pupils of Gasenyi II Basic School studying while sitting on the floor
He refers to the success rate of 14% in the national test of 2019. Ndikumasabo believes this low success rate is due to the lack of teachers’ motivation and determination. “Some have lost their passion for teaching …,” regrets Ndikumasabo, who calls on parents and teachers to pay more attention to the education of their children.
The report released in October 2019 by the Project to Support the Improvement of Early Learning (PAADESCO) with the funding from the World Bank revealed that “42% of children under the age of 10 cannot read. “ 42% of children cannot read either Kirundi or other languages,” said Béatrice Samandari, PAADESCO Coordinator who explains that this failure in education is due to the poor intelligence capacity of students and a lack of monitoring or supervision from parents and teachers.
A director of a school in Bujumbura explains that the low rate of learning to read is due to very large classes, lack of books in schools and staff. “There are schools where a book is shared between three or even four children,” he said, adding that there are schools that do not have students’ books.
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