Stakeholders disagree on suspension of extra-lessons in secondary schools

Eduard Juma: “Extra lessons are no longer in the interest of students”

Education officials, parents and students have diverging opinions on the suspension by the Education Ministry of extra-classes that were offered to help students.

The Education Ministry decided on Wednesday 4 January 2017 to temporarily suspend lessons that were offered to middle and high school students after regular class hours. The extra lessons were intended to help students assimilate materials they study in class, but the government says they have become money-makers for teachers and headmasters.

Eduard Juma, the Education ministry spokesman, said that extra classes are complementary educational activities that are supposed to help students in need. However, “nowadays, those courses have become too expensive. They are no longer in the interest of the students, but for financial gains [for teachers and their headmasters]”. For that reason, the ministry has decided to suspend the courses.

Jacqueline Ndimurukundo, the headmaster of Bwiza secondary school, says the extra-classes did not cause any problem at her school.

“The decision to start offering the courses and the amount of fees to be paid was taken by the parents’ general assembly. They did not welcome the ministry’s plan to suspend the extra lessons,” she said. The cuts were announced at the beginning of the school year’s first term, in September 2016.

Some schools disagree with the decision. Dieudonné Niyonzima, who is in charge of courses at Lycée du Lac secondary school, says that no one at his school ever complains about the extra-lessons. He also said the parent assembly decided to set up the lessons, and that the fees were agreed upon by both the headmaster and the parents.

Other schools have criticised the extra lessons. Rénovat Ndabashinze, whose sister studies in middle school at Lycée de la CEPEBU in Bujumbura, says they are not well organized. The fees for the lessons amount to BIF 10,000 which is more than the BIF 7,500 of normal school fees. “It is expensive”, says Ndabashinze.

One student from Lycée de la CEPEBU who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The extra-lessons are unnecessary. Class lessons are sufficient; the added activities are not only tiresome but also provide nothing.”

Ester Randira, another student from Lycée du lac, says the extra-lessons prevent them from preparing well for tests. “The lessons are scheduled after regular classes, which is when we are supposed to go home, have lunch, and then revise”, she says.

Emmanuel Mashandari, the chairman of Burundian teachers’ union (CONAPES) says the extra-lessons should not be suspended. The reason is that the lessons offer complementary opportunity for students to master materials studied in the many courses, which can’t be assimilated in the regular school hours.