Exam cheating scandal : a school principal detained in Rumonge, suspicions of political protection

SOS Médias BurundiRumonge, April 19, 2025 – The principal of the Mugara primary school in the district of Rumonge has been detained for a week at the provincial police station. He is accused of facilitating cheating during exams recently organized by the district education directorate.

According to several concordant sources, this official allegedly gave his cell phone to a third-grade primary school pupil enrolled in a school in the urban center of Rumonge (southwestern Burundi). The device contained tests that were supposed to be confidential but were allegedly leaked before their official distribution to schools. Photos of the exams, circulating on some pupils’ phones, confirm these suspicions.

The news sparked intense outrage among parents and teachers. “It’s shocking, especially since these exams are supposed to be secured by the district administration. How can they already be circulating on phones?” “What’s the matter?” asks a teacher at a primary school in the region. Other educators claim that the incriminated principal had access to the exam papers while they were being reproduced and deliberately took photos with his personal phone.

Despite the seriousness of the facts, no measures to cancel or reschedule the exams have been announced so far. This administrative silence is causing incomprehension. “There is a worrying complacency. This type of cheating calls into question the credibility of the entire education system,” laments a parent we met at the announcement of the second-term results, held on Friday.

A broader and worrying phenomenon

This case, shocking as it may be, is not an isolated one. Several sources in the education sector report that cheating is becoming a recurring phenomenon in Burundian public schools, particularly during national and district exams. Teachers denounce increasing pressure on principals and school managers, ordered by their superiors or local political figures to achieve good results at all costs. “Some officials sometimes turn a blind eye to test leaks or favor certain schools to improve local statistics,” confided a teacher who requested anonymity. This performance-based approach, fueled by political or patronage considerations, creates a fertile ground for fraud.

A politicized case?

Persistent rumors in Rumonge suggest that negotiations are underway to secure the release of the detained principal due to his membership in the ruling CNDD-FDD party. According to a local official, “party officials are intervening behind the scenes to cover up the case. We fear the investigation will not reach its conclusion.”

Faced with this situation, several voices are being raised. Parent-teacher associations are calling for the intervention of the Minister of National Education and Scientific Research to ensure an impartial investigation. “This case must not be covered up. The credibility of our entire education system is at stake,” asserted a representative of a local educational organization.

With the announcement of the second-term results on Friday, the confidence of parents and pupils has been shaken. Will the ministry be able to restore the integrity of Burundi’s exams? Time will tell.