J.P. Mpiana UNIKIN M. Poncelet ULg

1. Neither private, nor public. Resilient school in DRC : from primary education to UniversityThe local formula of “educational partnership” and the powerlessness of international assistance AMSTERDAM 2011 J.P. Mpiana UNIKIN M. Poncelet ULg

2. Positions and points of view • Coordination of Belgian French speaking universities research program supporting Belgian Development Cooperation : “social economy, civil society and cooperation”. Fieldworks in DRC and Benin schools and parental committees, associations and “parental movement” • Participating in Belgian scientific policy research program “Reconstruction of state in DRC” (see Tom de Herdt presentation) • Coordination of university cooperation programs with DRC’s universities (2008-2012 , professors Dia Mwembu (UNILU), Shomba, Kapagama, Mpiana, UNIKIN) • Today we try to build a joint research program on “the inside university politics in DRC” (Professors Mpiana, Kapagama, Numbi)

3. DRC, 2000 • “Crash” of postcolonial experience • A long dismembering of public live since 80’s • Collapse of state order and of formal economy • The “first African world war”! • Dissemination of violence • Apparently the worse situation in Human development!! • The greatest French speaking country in Africa… and today… in the world! • School and education in this context??

4. 1985-2005 : Surviving and expanding school in DRC “state failing” • DRC « miracle » on the primary school level : • Destruction of formal economy and infrastructures (“peacefully” since end of 80’s, with “war support” since 1996) • A radical impoverishment of a majority of households : most of Kinshasa families are not able to pay school fees for all children! • Declining and quasi disappearance of public budget for school and universities contraction of teachers salaries (10-15 $/month in 2003!) • “Liberalization” of basic education market since 1986 : in fact limited at primary level (see Tom de Herdt contribution) • Reproduction of school “bureaucratie” in spite of breakdown of civil administration and state control on school education sector : • Extreme rarefaction of school equipments ( “lack of all” is obvious, growing quality inequalities more difficult to prove !) • Massive and institutional production of “in school illiteracy”

5. 1985-2005 : Surviving and expanding school in DRC “state failing” (2) • The number of pupils has been multiplied by 3,5 • The gross rate of schooling +/- stable ( 3% of population growth) • Thousands of schools were created ….. • 1987 : 11.137 primary schools ; 4.216 secondary schools • 2002 : 18.318 primary schools ; 8. 002 secondary schools • “School has been saved”! “Parents, teachers, children are heroes” (common popular discourse)?? • “Real school, good education, school spirit, … exist no more following others Congoleses? • Parental contribution (fees) became more and more important (70-90% of global education cost in 2005).It respond to a common model of partnership • in “new” primary private sector (10-15% of the children in many cases in the poorest areas) • in the largest sector (“official subsidized”-religious; 65-70% of the children ) • even in state official school (15-20%) • Bonuses and/or salaries of teachers and professors • Premiums and salaries of a growing number of education bureaucrats in public administration and “official-churches” staffs

6. Graduate and postgraduate levels: constitution of a domestic market • Academic proliferation : hundreds religious, community-based, commercial or even public news institutions appear in de 90’s : • Such a demand for higher education facing lack of labor market?? • cultural believe ? • Demographic consequence ? • Exit option for young people? • Free supply of teaching , lack of any regulation of supply • Universities and “Instituts supérieurs”: 36 in 1989 • 1993 : the National conference promote 400 new State universities or ISP : 60 of theses universities only were surviving in 1994! • Since that time States universities as privates ones created dozens of extensions outside their areas to “meet the demand”. • A very fruitful market emerge for the university elite : 1500 professors only have the power to legitimize private initiatives! • Today +/- 1.400 universities and institutes ! • ( hundreds were “suppressed” last month by Ministry of education)

7. The Congo «de facto» partnerships model (officially adopted by Catholic church in1992) • The school partnerships models (officially adopted by Catholic church in 1992) • from primary school to university : the annual negotiation of financial participation of users • Individual or collective users (parents) and local Unions : a very limited power facing “directeurs” and facing university professors corporative groups • The ascending redistribution (“ventilation”) of fees money following a double (Civil and Churches “sitting teachers”), complex, unclear, unstable and trustless administration ( from Province to National level) • Failure of Province Governors or Head of churches attempts to reform fees regime in the last years • A systematic but temporary exclusion out the classroom of the “failing” children ( participating in institutional illiteracy)

8. Resilience or historical background? • The basic colonial school model was purely primary-professional ( three years for most children) • Official school was in the hands of Missions and Churches but majority of schools were private and…… also initiatives of Missions and Churches(2/3) : education was not free! • 1956 : formally, Congo had second primary school rate after South-Africa but no one postgraduate! • The very limited Impact of introduction of Belgian curricula by late reforms in the 50’ s • The right to be educated in French language among urban Indigenes became a political want • New strategy of catholic Church to promote Black clerks

9. 1960-65 : the making of a conservative national consensus between new leaders and churches • the model became very elitist in few schools using French language. New elite support this model • Status quo de facto for the large majority of primary schools using African languages, employing same (colonial-religious) personnel • Progressive “africanisation” of universities personnel on a remaining elitist scheme

10. The national school : a myth? • 1971 : the politics of “authenticité” and nationalization of all schools and school’s patrimonies • Unification of the three historical universities (end in 1981) • 1974 “déconfessionnalisation” of all schools in Zaïre (end in 1977) • Centralized and direct control of school by MPR state party and imposition of French language ( in fact difficult)

11. 30 years of « liberalization », of anarchy or resistance? • A complex accumulation of norms more or less applied and negotiated, part of the making state more than indicator of non state • The ambivalent position of Catholic church (divided on education issue) : part of public education, involved in most private and community initiatives • Education access : money at all levels but no real market regulation • The absence of clear frontier between , “public”, “community-based”, “religious”, “commercial” schools! • No alternative to formal school, no alternative to various forms of fees • International attempts to introduce innovations or to upgrade the level have little effect in clarifying this situation • “If it need… I will go in the street to demonstrate and claim my right to pay fees” (a mother commenting a suppression proposal of school fees!

12. Thank you