CAR: Schools remain idle one month after resumption

Most schools in the Central African Republic have been idle more than a month after the official resumption of classes.

Some students resumed school on September 19, but a few of them remains desperate. They attribute the problem to insecurity which persists in some provinces, and in some districts of the capital Bangui, as reported by the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator.

“It has always been a problem of “occupied schools; a dozen schools occupied by the armed groups. And here we are working with the Minusca to do our best and resume educational activities in these schools,” said Fabrizio Hochschild, UN-Humanitarian Coordinator.

Violence erupted in the beginning of the month at the UN Center the PK 5 district following the death of an army officer.

The capital, Bangui has been the center of the problem since the schools resumed especially in the interior of the country. Africanews Correspondent in Senegal said some teachers have difficulty in doing their work .

A school, Sekia Dale located 22 km from the capital, Bangui, has been occupied by armed groups, which recently evacuated. A single class room is functional, with two teachers.

Teachers are forced to make do with what they have, But a month after the resumption of the school year, they admit they have nothing much to work with and call for help.

“We have a problem of classes; we do not have enough tables and benches. The workforce has reduced, and we have a problem of teachers. For a complete period, we are only two.So the work is really much. We hope that the government sends us at least 3 teachers. At least one teacher per class, the work can then operate smoothly. But a teacher for two classes, it is a sloppy job” said Thierno ouronfei, principal of Sekia Dale School.

The Central African Republic is recovering from three years of crisis that have pushed many schools to close down.

One of the pressing challenges of the new President Anchange Michel Touadera, a teacher by profession, is to put a generation of Central African Republic on the path of education.