DRC: Schools reopen despite the Ebola threat

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the school year began on September 1, 2026, throughout the entire country. This resumption of classes comes as the Ebola virus continues to circulate in several regions of the eastern part of the country.

Faced with the risk of infection, the authorities have chosen to maintain the start of the school year while strengthening preventive measures in schools. Among the measures implemented are physical distancing between students in classrooms, the wearing of face masks, and the installation of handwashing stations in schools.

Teachers now have an additional responsibility. Beyond their teaching duties, they will also have to monitor students' health and report any suspicious signs.

“If a child shows any of the signs or symptoms related to Ebola disease, we are here to raise the alarm. We have a heavy task of monitoring children, raising their awareness and teaching them how to live during this Ebola epidemic in school conditions,” says Lydie Tsebu, a teacher at the Museke school complex in Beni.

Call for a strike

Just days before the start of the new school year, the Congolese Teachers' Union (Syeco) called on Tuesday, August 26 in Kinshasa for classes not to resume throughout the country.

The union is demanding a salary increase that would raise the monthly salary to 500 US dollars, "or its equivalent in Congolese francs." It is also demanding the immediate payment and support of teachers currently "unpaid" and those in "new units," some of whom have been working for several years without regular pay.

Cheick Omar Ouedraogo