Burunga : lack of beds, teachers, and funding puts boarding schools under pressure

SOS Médias Burundi

Burundi, September 15, 2026 — The 2026-2027 school year, officially launched on Monday, September 14, is taking place under difficult conditions for several boarding schools in Burunga province, southern Burundi. Rumeza High School, Rumonge High School, and Al Marktoum High School are facing significant needs for beds, mattresses, school supplies, teachers, drinking water, and funding, making it difficult to accommodate boarding pupils in suitable conditions.

At Rumeza High School, located in the Matana district, the school was supposed to accommodate some 500 boarding pupils. According to information gathered on site, however, the school is short of approximately 50 beds and 100 mattresses needed to accommodate all the boarders.

The refectory also lacks equipment, including about twenty benches and ten dining tables. In the classrooms, the school needs approximately 60 additional desks.

The shortage of teachers is another challenge. Several subjects are affected, including French, English, mathematics and statistics, information and communication technologies (ICT), and psychology.

Significant needs at Rumonge High School

At Rumonge High School, in the district of Rumonge, the need for dormitory equipment is also significant.

Local sources estimate that approximately 400 beds and 200 mattresses are needed to ensure that boarding pupils are accommodated in suitable conditions. The school also needs new teachers and teaching materials.

Infrastructure still under construction at Al Marktoum High School

The situation appears particularly concerning at Al Marktoum High School, in the district of Rumonge.

Parents contacted on Monday stated that the school is facing numerous difficulties in accommodating boarding pupils. According to some teachers, essential infrastructure, including the kitchen, dining hall, and dormitories, was not yet ready for the start of the school year.

Construction work was still underway, even though the administration was supposed to have already welcomed and hosted the pupils.

The same sources estimate that this work could continue for more than three weeks after the start of the school year. This situation raises questions about the conditions in which boarding pupils will be hosted during this period.

The lack of drinking water is a concern

In addition to these logistical difficulties, there is the problem of access to drinking water in several boarding schools.

School officials fear that this situation will lead to a deterioration of hygiene conditions and expose pupils to diseases related to the lack of water and sanitation.

The lack of financial resources is another concern. While boarding schools are responsible for providing accommodation and meals for boarders, some officials indicate that the funds allocated for their operation have not yet been disbursed by the central government.

Food stocks are reportedly insufficient, or even depleted, in some schools. Principals are calling on the authorities to take necessary steps to ensure that the budgets for boarding schools are quickly deposited into their accounts.

The revitalization of boarding schools put to the test

These difficulties come as the government has announced a policy to revitalize boarding schools, with the reopening of several boarding schools this academic year, with the aim of improving the quality of education.

Recruitment committees have been established, and waiting lists for new teachers have reportedly been updated.

However, school officials are still awaiting the publication, province by province, of the lists of selected teachers. Candidates on the waiting lists are demanding that the recruitment process be conducted transparently to avoid favoritism.

5,000 teachers announced, while the need is for 14,000

The teacher shortage remains one of the main challenges facing the Burundian education system.

The government recently announced the allocation of funds to recruit 5,000 new teachers, primarily to address the needs identified in several schools.

However, this number remains far below the needs expressed by the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, which had requested 14,000 new teachers.

Government spokesperson and Secretary General Jérôme Niyonzima stated that the recruitment of 5,000 teachers was contingent upon the budgetary resources available for this operation.

A problem that extends beyond Burunga

The situation observed in Burunga province is not an isolated case. In several schools across the country, the lack of teachers, equipment, drinking water, and operating resources continues to complicate the start of the school year.

The reopening and resumption of boarding schools are thus placing even more pressure on available infrastructure and resources. For school officials, the challenge now is to ensure that the government’s stated ambitions are backed by sufficient resources to provide pupils with decent learning, accommodation, and meals.