6 September 2007
Bujumbura — Private school fees have sharply risen. In most private schools the rise in fees comes out to 34&percnt, a figure that corresponds to the increase in the salaries of civil servants as promised by the head of State on May Day this year.
The rise in salaries for civil servants has not come into effect, although private schools have already raised the costs.
This rise follows the increase in the prices of products of the first necessity and transportation fares. The school year is set to start on 17 September 07 for public schools but some private schools are already in session. Apart from the fees, student uniforms have become very scarce as the local textile company, COTEBU, has temporary closed. The price of copy books remain comparable to last year's prices.
The institution of free education for primary schools pupils was the first thing that the Head of State announced in 2005 when he was sworn in. At that time the country was not prepared for a great number of pupils and the Head of State's announcement has had little effect outside of reducing the quality of education for primary school pupils. This so-called free primary education seems now to be contradicted by the rise of the cost of secondary education.
The whole educational system, from the primary level up to the university level, is plagued a dearth of classrooms. President Pierre Nkurunziza, in one of his populist promises which are never brought to fulfillment, announced that he had plans to build universities in many provinces of the country and that donors seemed enthusiastic about this project. Not a single classroom was built for the University of Burundi, let alone the enormous project of building universities in other provinces.
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