The signing of the Interministerial Order establishing and establishing the permanent commission to monitor the Bibwa agreements, between the government ban and the union ban of teachers from the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship took place on Monday October 14 in Kinshasa.
In the presence of delegates from the Interunion of Teachers of the Ministry of National Education and initiation to the new citizenship, the Congo Teachers’ Union (SYECO), the National Union of Catholic Teachers (SYNECAT), the National Union of School Inspectors Schools of Congo, (SYNIECO), Union of teachers of public primary schools of the DRC (SYNEEP), the Deputy Prime Minister of the Civil Service Jean Pierre Lihau, the Minister of State, Minister of EDU-NC, ma Minister of State Raïssa Malu, accompanied by Deputy Minister Kezamudru, Minister of State and Minister of Budget, Aimé Boji Sangara, and Deputy Minister of Finance, O’Neige Nsele Mimpa affixed their signatures to the document.
According to the communications unit of the Ministry of National Education and New Citizenship, members of the government each insisted on the need to clean the teachers’ file. This consolidation will make it possible to fight against fraud, to prune fictitious items, to free up budgetary margins which will be allocated to improving the socio-professional conditions of teachers. Furthermore, the Government insisted on granting the special status of public agent of the State to the Congolese teacher.
VPM Jean Pierre Lihau returned to the importance of the interministerial decree which fits with the permanent dialogue characterizing the government’s action. “Faced with difficulties, with differences, there is only dialogue to smooth things out, and above all to chart ways together to move forward,” he told the union delegates. He recalled that the creation of this permanent commission is part of the agreements signed in Bibwa, in order to carry out periodic evaluations of the execution of the commitments made.
The spokesperson for the Intersyndicale, Godefroid Matondo, on behalf of his fellow trade unionists, declared the following:
“We are very happy to attend this signing ceremony of the interministerial decree. This long-awaited decree is a continuation of the agreement that we signed with the government ban. On the remuneration side, what we agreed with the government has already been released and it remains this interministerial decree because we are telling you very clearly that during our meetings it was said that we will need to be able to have a special status for teachers and secure the careers of teachers and all that will be done from this commission whose decree we have just signed today”.
Faced with this new progress and respect for commitments by the government of the Republic, he invited “hesitant” teachers to join their posts.
“As the government is honoring its commitments, we are very happy and we invite all teachers who are still hesitant to return to their workplaces now so that this commission does not have difficulties because there will be field trips to identify teachers.”, indicated the Unionist on behalf of his colleagues.
Despite the start of the school year on Monday September 2, 2024 in several provinces of the country, strike movements persist despite the recent signing of the Bibwa agreements. The strikers believe that the amount added to teachers’ salaries following these agreements is insufficient and are demanding even more from the government.
Almost a month later, on the instructions of Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka, the Minister of State, Minister of National Education and New Citizenship Raïssa Malu had reached an agreement with the trade unionists reluctant to the last Bibwa agreement and the latter had called for classes to resume. Despite these calls, in certain corners of the country, courts have not yet resumed and are waiting for even more from the government of the Republic.
Clement MUAMBA
