Burunga : a scandal surrounds the teacher recruitment

SOS Médias Burundi

Burunga, September 19, 2025 – In Burunga, in the south of the small east African nation, many voices are denouncing serious irregularities during recent teacher recruitment tests. Several candidates claim that some applicants received undue favors, calling into question the transparency of the process.

According to testimonies gathered on site, candidates presented false certificates of volunteering at schools, documents that automatically guaranteed them 15 additional points on the grading scale. This was an advantage inaccessible to other applicants. Others allege even more dubious practices : some exam papers were allegedly replaced after the fact thanks to the support of influential figures in the ruling CNDD-FDD party.

Criticism intensified during the exams held at the Makamba Secondary School of Excellence. That day, several candidates claimed to have observed blatant laxity in proctoring : applicants reportedly consulted their phones to look up answers online.
“It was real sabotage; some cheated in full view of everyone,” lamented a candidate.

Faced with the magnitude of the accusations, some education officials admitted the facts. The principal of the Vyuya district school, in the Mugamba district education department, Anicet Niyonzima, issued a written apology after validating false certificates. For their part, the Makamba regional authorities have warned that those responsible for such practices risk severe sanctions, including permanent dismissal from public service. However, some local officials continue to deny any involvement, citing the theft of stamps and signatures.

The aggrieved candidates are now calling on the Ministry of Education and the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. They demand that cheaters and those who received fraudulent documents be excluded from the lists so that only the most deserving gain access to this essential profession.

“School is the foundation of the future. If we start by cheating to get into it, we are condemning an entire generation of pupils,” indignantly said a teacher already in post.