The landlocked African nation of Burundi is commonly known for its history of colonization and ethnic strife, which culminated in genocide against the Hutu majority by the powerful Tutsi minority in the ’90s. Since the resolution of its Civil War in 2005, Burundi has remained plagued by political corruption, specifically the bribing of low-level government officials. For example, 13% of citizens of Burundi reported their interactions in the education sector resulting in a bribe in 2014.

This corruption is especially harmful for the 42.2% population which is below the age of 15, as a lack of government funding and resources has contributed to a poor quality or complete lack of education. Fortunately, both government initiatives and external organizations have recognized this problem and sprung into action, bolstering programs in Burundi to forge an educated generation of citizens and develop the nation’s struggling economy.

Government Initiatives

Recognizing the vitality of an educated citizenry in promoting the development of a recently united nation, in 2005, Burundi’s government made primary education completely free. By 2022, this measure had the effect of a 118.5% gross primary enrollment rate, meaning 118.5% of the theoretical primary school population was actually enrolled in school. Already, immense benefits are visible in fields like mathematics and language; for students in second grade, for example, language proficiency jumped from 46% in 2014 to 79% in 2019.

Furthermore, the program has completely changed the old system, which favored the education of boys. By 2011, primary education enrollment was equal by gender. This change has huge implications for Burundian development. As women become more literate and have fewer children, they are more capable of taking on jobs and contributing to the economy rather than staying home to care for a large family.

While government efforts have been instrumental in increasing enrollment, more resources are still required to improve the quality of education in Burundi. Luckily, international organizations have recognized this need and stepped up to boost educational infrastructure:

Libraries Without Borders

Since 2014, Libraries Without Borders has offered digital learning to the youth in Burundi in the form of “Ideas Boxes” and “Ideas Cubes.” Ideas boxes present digital content with an Internet connection. At the same time, the cubes provide an offline library to students in rural areas. In just six months of operation, the first two ideas boxes in Burundi saw more than 24,000 visits from eager young students, specifically Congolese refugees and Burundians themselves from the village of Makamba. With funding from organizations like the Global Partnership for Education, we can expect to see the expansion of this program and improved multimedia forms of education in classrooms throughout the nation.

The United Nations Children’s Fund

To combat the poor quality of education, which has historically resulted in elevated dropout rates among Burundi’s schoolchildren, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has worked with the nation’s Ministry of Education to both train teachers and build inclusive schools for children with disabilities. Furthermore, a yearly UNICEF “Back to School” campaign has sourced World Bank funding to provide teaching and learning materials such as notebooks and chalk to schools across Burundi. In 2022, for example, the campaign targeted six less-developed areas with higher dropout rates, successfully instilling the value of a quality education in students who had never experienced it before.

Final Note

Although the work is not done, government efforts and international assistance have made strides in education in Burundi. With further investment in education as the nation’s future, we can hope to see these generations mature to form a robust economy and lead Burundi toward more prosperous development.

– Cole Zickwolff

Cole is based in Carlsbad, CA, USA and focuses on Good News, Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project..

Photo: Flickr