DRC Education Factsheet 2011
Fact sheet 2011 EDUCATION
Democratic Republic of Congo Country profile The presence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic has forced civilians to seek refuge in the DRC. Some positive developments have occurred on the political scene, and bilateral relations with
neighbouring
countries
have
improved significantly. However, the eastern provinces continue to suffer from recurrent violence as a result of the presence of various armed groups. In addition to the consequences of military operations conducted by the Government,
there
has
been
an
increase in violations of the human rights of the civilian population by armed groups, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. In total, an estimated 2 million persons have been displaced internally in the DRC by conflict. Of these, some 400,000 are assisted by UNHCR. The situation is characterized by chronic and rampant sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls, which remains one of the biggest challenges. Total people of concern: 166.336 refugees, 932 asylum seekers, 16.631 returnees, 1.721.382 IDPs, 460.754 returned IDPs Origin of refugees: Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Sudan Implementing partners: CNR and GTZ Comprehensive education budget 2012: Returnees: USD 2.6 million IDPs: USD 2.1 million Asylum seekers and refugees: USD 1.8 million
Overall education needs budget 2012: USD 6.5 million UNHCR approved budget 27%
65%
Situation of refugee education in urban settings Enrolment in tertiary education, by year and gender
Female
2008
Secondary
Primary
Secondary
Secondary 2007
Primary
Male
Number of students
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Primary
%
Enrolment rate in primary and secondary school, by year and gender 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Female Male
2007
2010
1
2008
2010
Enrolment in training, by year and gender 25 Number of students
20 20 14
15
15
Female 10
8
10
Male
5 1
UNHCR / M. Hofer / December 2010
0 2007
2008
2010
Challenges and objectives
Congolese returnees
•
• • •
• •
•
• • • •
Internally displaced & returned displaced persons
Refugees and asylum seekers
• •
Challenges Access to primary education is in principle free of charge and guaranteed. However, delays of teacher payment resulted in the introduction of obligatory fees in many primary schools Low enrolment and retention rate due to cost of school supplies, uniforms and school fees Imbalance between the number of girls and boys attending school School infrastructures have been destroyed during the armed conflicts, classrooms have not been maintained and illegally been occupied by third partied including the army Insufficient teaching materials Teachers are not benefiting from refreshed courses affecting the quality of education negatively Lack of or overcrowded classrooms Students are subjected to forced labor, including fetching water, wood and building materials for teachers
Challenges Access to primary education is in principle free of charge and guaranteed. However, delays of teacher payment resulted in the introduction of obligatory fees in many primary schools Lack of support for nursery care and for tertiary education Limited support to technical, vocational and literacy education Graduate students are victims of discrimination and over-taxation of academic fees Interruption of girls schooling because of unwanted pregnancies
Challenge Low enrolment rates due to insufficient school infrastructure, difficult living conditions, lack of income of parents, low awareness of the importance of education among parents, and discrimination of girls
• •
• • • • • • • •
• • • • •
• • •
2 UNHCR Education Unit, Geneva 2011
Very long distance between school and home, especially for secondary schools Returnees are seen as an additional burden to the already overcrowded schools Objectives Advocate for free primary education as stated in the constitution and the convention on child right Increase income of parents to enable them to afford school fees and other school related costs Advocate for additional support from other actors Construct additional classrooms Provide school material and equipment Provide school kits in locations where UNICEF will not be able to assist Build more classrooms Support teacher’s trainings
Objectives Support primary school education of refugee children in urban areas Provide school fees, school kits and in some areas uniforms Lobby towards the Congolese government as well as specialized UN agencies to ensure free primary education Finance primary school until free education is available Enrol youth in vocational training
Objectives Maintain the school infrastructure Provide the school kits, textbooks and teaching materials Support teacher’s trainings
Democratic Republic of Congo Country profile The presence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic has forced civilians to seek refuge in the DRC. Some positive developments have occurred on the political scene, and bilateral relations with
neighbouring
countries
have
improved significantly. However, the eastern provinces continue to suffer from recurrent violence as a result of the presence of various armed groups. In addition to the consequences of military operations conducted by the Government,
there
has
been
an
increase in violations of the human rights of the civilian population by armed groups, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. In total, an estimated 2 million persons have been displaced internally in the DRC by conflict. Of these, some 400,000 are assisted by UNHCR. The situation is characterized by chronic and rampant sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls, which remains one of the biggest challenges. Total people of concern: 166.336 refugees, 932 asylum seekers, 16.631 returnees, 1.721.382 IDPs, 460.754 returned IDPs Origin of refugees: Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Sudan Implementing partners: CNR and GTZ Comprehensive education budget 2012: Returnees: USD 2.6 million IDPs: USD 2.1 million Asylum seekers and refugees: USD 1.8 million
Overall education needs budget 2012: USD 6.5 million UNHCR approved budget 27%
65%
Situation of refugee education in urban settings Enrolment in tertiary education, by year and gender
Female
2008
Secondary
Primary
Secondary
Secondary 2007
Primary
Male
Number of students
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Primary
%
Enrolment rate in primary and secondary school, by year and gender 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Female Male
2007
2010
1
2008
2010
Enrolment in training, by year and gender 25 Number of students
20 20 14
15
15
Female 10
8
10
Male
5 1
UNHCR / M. Hofer / December 2010
0 2007
2008
2010
Challenges and objectives
Congolese returnees
•
• • •
• •
•
• • • •
Internally displaced & returned displaced persons
Refugees and asylum seekers
• •
Challenges Access to primary education is in principle free of charge and guaranteed. However, delays of teacher payment resulted in the introduction of obligatory fees in many primary schools Low enrolment and retention rate due to cost of school supplies, uniforms and school fees Imbalance between the number of girls and boys attending school School infrastructures have been destroyed during the armed conflicts, classrooms have not been maintained and illegally been occupied by third partied including the army Insufficient teaching materials Teachers are not benefiting from refreshed courses affecting the quality of education negatively Lack of or overcrowded classrooms Students are subjected to forced labor, including fetching water, wood and building materials for teachers
Challenges Access to primary education is in principle free of charge and guaranteed. However, delays of teacher payment resulted in the introduction of obligatory fees in many primary schools Lack of support for nursery care and for tertiary education Limited support to technical, vocational and literacy education Graduate students are victims of discrimination and over-taxation of academic fees Interruption of girls schooling because of unwanted pregnancies
Challenge Low enrolment rates due to insufficient school infrastructure, difficult living conditions, lack of income of parents, low awareness of the importance of education among parents, and discrimination of girls
• •
• • • • • • • •
• • • • •
• • •
2 UNHCR Education Unit, Geneva 2011
Very long distance between school and home, especially for secondary schools Returnees are seen as an additional burden to the already overcrowded schools Objectives Advocate for free primary education as stated in the constitution and the convention on child right Increase income of parents to enable them to afford school fees and other school related costs Advocate for additional support from other actors Construct additional classrooms Provide school material and equipment Provide school kits in locations where UNICEF will not be able to assist Build more classrooms Support teacher’s trainings
Objectives Support primary school education of refugee children in urban areas Provide school fees, school kits and in some areas uniforms Lobby towards the Congolese government as well as specialized UN agencies to ensure free primary education Finance primary school until free education is available Enrol youth in vocational training
Objectives Maintain the school infrastructure Provide the school kits, textbooks and teaching materials Support teacher’s trainings
