Congo-Kinshasa: DRC School Year Begins Amid Ebola, Strikes and Conflict

What the report says

Millions of students in the Democratic Republic of Congo returned to class as the 2026-2027 school year opened on 1 September, but the restart came under difficult conditions, according to RFI in a report distributed by AllAfrica. The education ministry said schools were reopening nationwide where possible, while also restating that public primary education is free and outlining new measures such as pilot school canteens and citizen monitoring clubs.

The report says the new term coincides with an Ebola outbreak affecting six provinces, including Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Tshopo, Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé. In response, the ministry has adopted different schooling arrangements depending on local risk, ranging from normal in-person classes to reinforced health measures or lighter remote learning in the most affected areas. Officials also said the epidemic is disrupting some school subdivisions and complicating contact tracing and prevention efforts.

Security and labour tensions are also shaping the reopening. In eastern areas under AFC/M23 control, local authorities organised the return to school even as teachers remain paid by the central government in Kinshasa. Separately, the Congo Teachers' Union, Syeco, maintained a strike call and urged parents to keep children at home, citing pay, registration and working-condition grievances. The report notes that the ministry has been holding talks with teacher unions, but it is not clear whether the strike threat has been dropped.

The broader significance is that Congo's school system is trying to function amid overlapping health, conflict and staffing pressures, making the start of the academic year uncertain in some regions.