Education in danger in Burundi : French, a major obstacle to quality education

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, October 15, 2025 – The Burundian education system continues to face serious challenges, including insufficient proficiency in French, the official language of instruction, which appears to be a major obstacle to learning. This issue was highlighted by the Minister of National Education, François Havyarimana, during the presentation of the report on the achievements of the past school year.

The Minister indicated that Burundi recently participated in a large-scale international assessment of the quality of education, conducted in some twenty French-speaking countries. This assessment aimed to identify the main obstacles to quality education. One of the report’s major findings : a large majority of pupils, and even some teachers, do not have sufficient proficiency in French, which compromises the understanding of content in several disciplines.

“It is urgent to recognize that insufficient proficiency in French profoundly affects academic performance,” stressed François Havyarimana, emphasizing the seriousness of this shortcoming in a system where French remains the official language of instruction.

According to education union leaders, this situation is not new. They attribute the decline of the French language in part to the significant reduction in the number of hours devoted to teaching it. For them, it is now crucial to rearrange school schedules to restore French to its place, particularly in a country where this language remains an essential vector of academic and professional communication.

Measures in preparation

To address these difficulties, the government has formed a technical team tasked with conducting an in-depth analysis of the national education system. The report produced by this team was enhanced during a workshop bringing together teachers, parents, unions, and administration officials, the minister explained.

The document, now submitted to the Council of Ministers, proposes several adjustments, including ongoing teacher training and strengthening the language skills of future teachers during their initial training.

Beyond language difficulties, the report also notes the failure to meet the required learning time. The actual duration of classes remains below international teaching standards, which hinders knowledge assimilation.

The ministry therefore plans to extend teaching time and revise school curricula to update content, adapt it to current realities, and strengthen skills in areas deemed strategic for the country’s socio-economic development.

Minister François Havyarimana assured that all these proposals will be seriously examined to implement sustainable and effective solutions.