Révérien Ndikuriyo, Secretary General of the CNDD-FDD, suspends exams in Makamba for a political meeting

SOS Médias Burundi

Makamba, July 3, 2025 – The resit exams scheduled to take place on Thursday in several schools in Makamba district, southern Burundi, were unable to proceed normally. The cause : a political meeting convened by Révérien Ndikuriyo, Secretary General of the CNDD-FDD and originally from Makamba province, which massively mobilized pupils, particularly the majorettes, young people often used for parades and partisan activities.

The meeting, held at the Makamba Secondary School of Excellence, attracted hundreds of pupils, leaving teachers bewildered as the classrooms were almost empty. “It’s unbelievable that the ruling party would organize political activities at such a crucial time for pupils. It was their last chance to save their school year,” laments a teacher who requested anonymity.

Pupils attracted by material benefits

According to consistent accounts, the pupils were lured by promised material benefits : a buffet was served on site and a per diem (a small sum of money) was given to them. Several pupils chose to attend the patriotic meeting, forgoing the make-up exams.

“If we refuse to participate in these activities, we risk being excluded from the cheerleading groups and facing reprisals within the school,” confides a ninth-grade pupil.

Teachers now fear administrative pressure to organize new exam sessions, which would violate school regulations, which strictly limit the number of make-up exam sessions.

Parents denounce excessive politicization of schools

Parents also express their exasperation. “We were told that our children would only march during official holidays. But now, it’s almost every week. They miss classes, and this time, they even missed exams to listen to a political speech,” complains one mother.

A common practice throughout Burundi

This phenomenon is not unique to Makamba. In several localities in Burundi, pupils, including primary school children, are regularly mobilized to welcome CNDD-FDD leaders or Burundian officials during political ceremonies, visits, or ibikorwa rusangi, (community service activities) organized in districts and provinces.

These frequent mobilizations, denounced by teachers’ unions and children’s rights organizations, often take place at the expense of class time and compromise the stability of pupils’ academic progress.

A recurring debate on political interference

This incident once again reignites the debate on the independence of schools from political interests. Unions and children’s rights advocates are calling on the authorities to respect the school calendar and protect pupils from political interference in their education.

No official response has yet been received from either the Ministry of Education or the CNDD-FDD party regarding this incident.

In Makamba’s schools, frustration is palpable. Teachers and parents hope that urgent measures will be taken to prevent these disruptions from recurring, especially at such crucial times for the pupils’ academic future.