Going To School

Most children in the DRC do not go to school, either because there is no school close enough to go to or they cannot afford to pay the school fees. The government does have schools in the bigger cities, but there are usually no public schools in the villages, where most of the people still live.

If there is a school in a village it is usually run by a church like the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, or here in Katanga Province, Mission Garenganze (an Open Brethren Church Mission). School fees are kept as low as possible in order to help as many students as possible go to school, but even that is too expensive for many families.

A fairly typical school building

The government pays the teachers' wages but pays nothing for books, reading materials, furniture or anything like that. As a result, no schools that we have seen have any furniture in the rooms apart from desks or seats, and none have libraries. Students do not have any textbooks to learn from.

Children at school

All school buildings are made from bricks and have concrete floors. Some schools are well kept and tidy while others are not so good and need repairs. There is no electricity so there are no computers or anything else that uses electricity. The teacher uses a large blackboard to write on using chalk. There are no white boards and no photocopiers. Most students only have one book to write stuff down in.

Basic school room with metal seating

Primary school classes sometimes have large numbers of children crammed into them — up to 50 children in each room, especially up to year 8. In the year 4-6 classes it is not uncommon to see 4 children sharing a desk that was meant for 2. High School students usually have better conditions because there are less students in a class. Many children only go to primary school and then go to work.

High School Class

At break time most children run around outside or play games. There are no toys to play with and no adventure playgrounds. Some schools have a playing field for soccer but there are no concrete playing areas for other sports. Each school often has only one soccer ball, so children make their own balls out of scrunched up plastic bags and string.

A better than average soccer field!

A small home-made soccer ball gets a workout!

Teachers are on pretty low pay and often have to make do with nothing but their knowledge as many have no access to textbooks or other resources. They need to travel to a main town to get their wages as these are always paid in cash. Most teachers stand during teaching time and many rooms have no desks for teachers to use. The principal in most schools has a very modest office!

A tidy principal's office in a school of 200