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Burundi: The National University Unable to Repay Debts
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Burundi Réalités (Bujumbura)
7 September 2007
Posted to the web 7 September 2007
Bujumbura
The University of Burundi is unable to repay debts amounting to more than 2 billion Burundian francs.
This was announced by the head of the University Society's Administration, Mr Jean Pierre Manda, in a news conference that was held on 06 September 07. Mr Manda said that the University of Burundi owes more than one billion three hundred thousand francs to the utilities company REGIDESO, more than two hundred million francs to the mutual insurance company, more than 143 million francs to the government and more than 300 million francs to food suppliers. The total debt that this institution owes corresponds to the amount of subsidies the government of Burundi annually grants to the university.
The University of Burundi is attempting to reform itself but is encountering the opposition of workers and students who fear that the privatization of the university might create more problems than it would solve.
A three-month break was decreed by the education minister in July in order to fix the problems that this institution is facing, but workers and students, fearing a hidden agenda, opposed this measure which they considered to be a concealed attempt to privatize this institution. This measure was later suspended. This was announced with the new academic year due to start on 27 September 2007. The university is facing the problem of academic years that overlap because of the shortage of teachers.
More than 20 teachers from the university of Burundi have moved to Rwanda in search of better pay and more than 163 teachers have remained abroad after they completed their doctoral education. The University of Burundi, with the support of the UNESCO, has initiated a project called TOKTEN through which Burundian teachers working abroad would return to teach students in Burundi and in return the University of Burundi would cover all their expenses during their stay. This project has, however, failed.
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