Republic of Congo Education
On paper, education in the Republic of the Congo looks promising; modelled on the French educational system, its compulsory between the ages of six and sixteen and six years of primary and seven years of secondary education is rewarded with a baccalaureate. The reality, however, is somewhat different particularly for those living in rural areas.
Years of warfare and political instability have severely damaged the standing of education in Congo Brazzaville with less GDP spent today than in 1991 and a significant fall down to 44% from 79% enrolment rate in 1991. However, there is now a renewed interest in education and these figures are improving with literacy running at 86% ~ the highest across Africa.
Education is supposed to be free, but, like in so many other African countries the costs of books and pencils make education unaffordable for many children and for those who do attend, many classrooms have no tables nor chairs, forcing students to sit on the floor when trying to learn.
Given that 47% of the country's population is aged 15yrs or younger, this too, puts a strain on the accessibility of education ~ simply having enough teaching staff to educate the children and, of course, for many living in poor rural communities and those thousands of children living on the streets of cities like Brazzaville, education simply isn't an option.
In 2011 the Republic of Congo launched its "Strengthening the prevention of HIV among school youth and providing care for children living with HIV in the Republic of the Congo" providing information and education to all the country's school children to promote safer sexual behaviour. This video documentary gives an insight into education there.
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