Rumonge : school results blocked, volunteer teachers angry

SOS Médias Burundi

Rumonge, June 29, 2025 — In several secondary schools in the district of Rumonge (southwestern Burundi), end-of-year report cards have still not been given to pupils. The cause : volunteer teachers are refusing to submit the results, demanding three months of unpaid incentive fees.

As the 2024-2025 school year draws to a close, the atmosphere is tense in several secondary schools in this district in southwestern Burundi. Volunteer teachers, generally supported by local contributions, are protesting the non-payment of their allowances. As a result, end-of-year grades are blocked.

“We’ve worked all year. We can’t continue as if nothing has happened. We’re demanding our three months’ unpaid tuition,” confided one concerned teacher on condition of anonymity.

A confirmed situation, but no immediate solution

The district education directorate (DCE) in Rumonge confirms the situation. A manager from this department assures that the funds are being recovered and calls on teachers to be patient :
“We are asking that the results be submitted while the district seeks a solution.”

But the district administration’s position is more forceful. The district administrator, Augustin Minani, criticizes the practice of charging incentive fees to parents. According to him, this financial pressure contributes to school dropouts.

“If a family has three children and is asked to pay 10,000 Burundi francs for each, they may be forced to keep only one child in school. The other two drop out due to lack of funds.”

Yet, the district had promised, from the beginning of the school year, to address this issue to stem the rise in school dropouts.

A crisis that reveals the flaws in the local education system

This crisis highlights the precarious situation faced by volunteer teachers, as well as the limitations of an education system that still relies in part on uncertain and sometimes poorly managed local contributions.

Behind the scenes, local sources are reporting an alleged misappropriation of funds collected in schools, which has prompted the district administration to suspend the local management of these contributions. This measure, intended to increase transparency, has left volunteer teachers without resources or recognition.

While waiting for a resolution to this administrative impasse, many pupils continue to wait in uncertainty, without access to their end-of-year results.