DR Congo: School children return to class in M23-controlled Goma

Many families and children across eastern DR Congo are breathing a sigh of relief this week, as millions of school pupils return to class in North-Kivu following the summer break, even in areas controlled by rebels.

According to France 24, September 1, people across the country feared their children in the north and south Kivu regions would be unable to attend school once again or face severe disruptions following the takeover by M23 rebels; fears that have been put to the side as children across the country take up their education once again.

In Goma, families are showing up to take their children to school, kitted out with new uniforms and bags ready for the new year.

One such father said, “We’re not afraid. We assume that today is the first day of school, so the year will continue as normal.”

Instead, this parent’s mind is not turned towards the fear of violence or conflict, but rather to school reports, their children’s future and the successful completion of the school year: “We’re afraid of what the teachers will tell us this year, but we hope that with the start of the school year it’ll all go as planned.”

Unfortunately, last year saw a different story, as schools were disrupted due to fighting between M23 and government forces in North-Kivu.

Goma, the capital of North-Kivu and a major city on the border of Rwanda, has been controlled by M23 rebels since January 2024, with schools facing weeks of disruption in the previous year.

This will be the first complete school year under rebel control.

Some parents are, however, not as optimistic, with fears of conflict affecting their children’s safety.

One history teacher in Goma refuses to let the education face any more disruption, and begins his lesson despite few students attending class. “Not all the students are here today,” he said, “but hopefully tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, they will be here.”

Meanwhile, there is good news for children’s learning facing fewer disruptions, as the DR Congo’s curriculum will continue to be taught in classrooms throughout the eastern Kivu provinces. Even as the education system faces issues unrelated to the conflict, such as teachers demanding higher pay, many continue to show up to class to educate their pupils.

Innocent Bahala, President of the North-Kivu National Teachers’ Union, said that no schools in the areas now controlled by AFC-M23 were closed.

“All schools are well secured and classes have started normally,” he said, noting that “all teachers will have their salaries paid by the Congolese state.”

Thoughts of conflict can seem a distant prospect for day-to-day life; many parents minds are focused solely on their children receiving a proper education.

However, if there is any anxiety about continued fighting in the near future, the people of Goma and North-Kivu more generally only hope for a better future for the next generation. Unfortunately, Children in these regions have so far known nothing but war in their young lives.

It’s a state of affairs that everyday people in Goma hope will soon come to a permanent peaceful solution.

France 24, Maghrebi.org