NGO appeals for hundreds more primary school teachers in Pool

A local NGO in the Republic of Congo has launched an urgent appeal for an increase in primary school teachers in the war-weary southern department of Pool, where a year of fighting caused tens of thousands of people to flee the region, while fighting trapped many more. Efforts are underway on the part of the government, UN agencies and NGOs to facilitate the return of Pool displaced to their homes. The president of the Convention for the Renaissance and Reconstruction of Pool (Convention pour la renaissance et la reconstruction du Pool - CRRP), Roland Malonga, told IRIN on Friday that the organisation was trying to recruit 250 teachers for the 2003-2004 school year, due to begin on 1 October. He said there was a deficit of some 1,297 teachers, which is why the oganisation had launched the appeal. "The cost of this initiative will be about 200 million francs CFA (US $364,199), and we are daring to hope that we can pull this together," he added. "As education is the foundation for the development of a country and for improved living conditions for the population, we are hoping that all Congolese concerned about the future of the country will lend their support." The NGO says for the 314 primary schools in the 15 regions of Pool, a total of 2,004 teachers is desirable. However, there are only 593 for a student population of 42,966 - a ratio of 70 students per teacher. As one of the worst cases in the department, the NGO cited the example of the Kimba school zone, where there is one teacher for 1,172 students in 19 schools. The CRRP was created following a peace agreement signed on 17 March between the government and "Ninja" rebels of Rev Frederic Bitsangou, alias Pasteur Ntoumi, which ended a year of hostilities. Fighting in the region forced many teachers to flee, exacerbating an already severe deficit of teachers in rural zones, and resulting in overcrowded classes or the closing of schools. According to a 1999 report by the UN Children's Fund and the African Student Parents' Association, school enrolment rate in the Congo - one of the few African countries where it used to be 100 percent - had dropped to 78.9 percent in 1998. Conflict and its aftermath also increased the illiteracy rate, to 24.9 percent. Literacy for men was estimated at 83 percent, while for women the rate was 67 percent. The average school dropout rate was 7 percent, the study said. Presently, less than 50 percent of primary school students complete five years of schooling, according to the Congolese government.