SOS Médias Burundi

Gitega, July 29, 2025 – Between low salaries, precarious living conditions, and a lack of prospects, more and more primary and secondary school teachers are leaving the small east African nation. The National Teachers’ Union of Burundi (SNEB) is sounding the alarm.

A worrying wave of departures

The Burundian education sector is experiencing a silent but profound crisis. According to Ferdinand Nzeyimana, legal representative of the SNEB, a growing number of teachers are leaving the country in search of better living conditions. This phenomenon affects both primary and secondary schools, further weakening an already strained system.

A call for patriotism… but also for social justice

« Teachers should serve their country, » admits Mr. Nzeyimana, while emphasizing the legitimacy of their demands. He calls on the government, the main employer, to assume its responsibilities by improving working conditions and salaries.

Rising cost of living, stagnant salaries

The soaring prices of basic necessities, exorbitant rents, and persistent fuel shortages are making teachers’ daily lives much more difficult. For nearly 56 months, this fuel scarcity has even affected their ability to reach their schools. The SNEB is calling for a salary increase indexed to the real cost of living.

Testimonies : « We teach to survive, not to live »

In the streets of Bujumbura, particularly in the commercial city where UN agencies and the central administration are concentrated, and where life is very expensive in Burundi, some teachers express their dismay.

“I earn less than 400,000 BIF per month, while my rent costs 250,000. I no longer have enough to feed my family with dignity,” explains a science teacher I met in the Kamenge neighborhood, north of the city.

In the provinces, the situation is even more critical.

“I have to walk 12 kilometers every day to reach my school because I can no longer afford transportation. Teaching has become a burden,” says a teacher from a rural area in northwest Burundi.

A devalued and demoralized profession

Beyond financial difficulties, teachers feel increasingly unrecognized in their social role. The lack of teaching materials, the absence of institutional support, and difficult working conditions, particularly in rural areas, exacerbate this demotivation. For many, teaching is no longer a vocation but a burden.

Housing : 1,200 teachers leave without repaying loans

The Burundi Teachers’ Housing Fund (FLE) is also sounding the alarm. One of its administrators revealed that nearly 1,200 teachers who had taken out loans to build their homes have left the country without repaying their loans. This situation threatens the fund’s sustainability and reflects a growing loss of confidence in supporting institutions.

The exodus to neighboring countries

Many Burundian teachers are finding refuge in neighboring countries, particularly Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, where salaries are better and job opportunities are more numerous.

« In Rwanda, I am paid three times what I earned in Burundi, and I am respected for my work, » confides a former high school teacher from Gitega, now employed in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

According to union sources, this brain drain could ultimately lead to a collapse in the quality of teaching in Burundi’s already chronically understaffed public schools.