Schools hosting Burundian refugee children in Mulongwe, in the province of South Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), are facing alarming overcrowding. This situation is causing concern among parents, teachers and refugee leaders. INFO SOS Médias Burundi

In several schools, including Kasaba 2 primary school, classrooms are overcrowded, making learning difficult. Protais Nsabiyaremye, a first-grade teacher at the school, describes the stark reality : “In my classroom, there are 180 pupils. Some are sitting on benches, others on the floor, and still others are standing.”

At Kasaba 2 school, some classrooms have more than 200 pupils. In other schools near the camp, such as Smade, located about two kilometers away, pupils sometimes have to study in precarious conditions due to a lack of space and suitable equipment – a situation made worse by the arrival of new refugees

Since the start of the 2024-2025 school year last September, the number of pupils has tripled in some schools due to the arrival of new refugees transferred from the temporary camps of Kavimvira and Sange located in the territory of Uvira not far from the border with Burundi.

According to Déo Ntakirutimana, president of the Burundian refugees in Mulongwe camp, approximately 15,000 people currently live in the camp.

Consequences for schooling

Overcrowding and lack of school supplies are forcing some pupils to drop out of school. N. Béni, a fifth-grade pupil, says, “Every morning, I go fishing in the river Mutambala or Lake Tanganyika, because it is impossible for me to study in a class of more than 150 pupils.”

Parents share these concerns. Dominique N., whose children attend Kasaba 2 and Smade schools, is worried about repercussions on her children’s education : “Such overcrowding compromises their academic future.”

Calls for help ignored?

Faced with this crisis, teachers are calling for the construction of new classrooms to provide better learning conditions. Meanwhile, some parents are calling for schools to temporarily stop enrolling new pupils, arguing that current infrastructure can no longer meet needs.

According to Déo Ntakirutimana, steps have been taken with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to obtain urgent assistance. However, no concrete solution has yet been put in place, leaving pupils and teachers in a dead end.