Makamba: teachers againstschool principals’ forced collection of money

The teachers in the Provincial Directorate of Education of Makamba (southern Burundi) are against the collection of a contribution ranging from 4,000 to 14,000 Burundian francs in the communal directorates of Makamba and Kayogoro. They believe it is just a ransom. Directors justify this saying they must incur additional costs to ensure the teachers’ evaluation policy.

INFO SOS Médias Burundi

Teachers contacted assert their principals demand between 4,000 and 14,000 for the purchase of papers, for printing and making photocopies, as part of a new system of contributions for government staff.

The teachers including those from the Kayogoro communal directorate say they are intimidated by directors every time they ask the motive behind that money collection when it is up to the government to finance such programmes.

Some directors allegedly accuse those requesting clarification of insubordination.

Protesters ask the government to “monitor this collection closely, especially since the directors themselves do not ask for the same amount per teacher”.

The school principals contacted explain that they are obliged to ask for this money because the government has not provided for these expenses in the operating costs.

According to them, “this is no less than 20 papers per teacher to complete skills evaluation sheets within the framework of the new policy which concerns state agents and civil servants”.

These school leaders say they give at least 5 copies of at least 4 papers for each teacher including one which must be kept by the teacher, one for the principal, one for the municipal directorate, one for the provincial directorate and another from the Ministry of National Education.

This is seen by these directors as too much of a burden when they could not even cover the usual expenses before the addition of this new performance evaluation policy introduced by the Burundian government.

Whether it is the municipal or provincial management, none has yet reacted.

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File photo : former governor of Makamba Gad Niyukuri in a meeting with school officials and teachers, March 2020 (SOS Médias Burundi)