Technology and Science02 September, 20263 min read
Ebola Restrictions Shape School Reopening In Bunia And Beni Across Democratic Republic Of Congo
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Ebola outbreak shapes school reopening with safety measures, including handwashing and screening. Students tasked as Ebola sentinels; weekly awareness in classrooms in Ituri.
6 outlets told this the same way.
Ebola reshapes school reopening
Schools reopened across the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the new academic year, but in the Ebola-hit east pupils returned to routines shaped by handwashing stations, temperature checks, and restrictions on close physical contact.
In Bunia, capital of the eastern Ituri Province and the epicenter of the outbreak, pupils in uniform returned to schools across the city on Tuesday, while several classrooms visited by Xinhua remained only partly filled due to continued hesitation among families.
In Beni, in neighboring North Kivu Province, pupils washed their hands before entering school, had their temperatures checked, and were encouraged to avoid hugs and embraces with classmates after the holiday, with some schools adjusting seating arrangements to reduce close contact.
The reopening came as nearly 31 million pupils are expected to attend school across the country this academic year, according to DRC Minister of State for National Education Raissa Malu, who launched the new school year Tuesday in Kinshasa.
Malu said at the opening ceremony, "Some parts of our country remain confronted with insecurity and conflicts, while others face health risks. But our duty remains the same: to keep schools functioning wherever possible," as the DRC Ministry of National Education rolled out a green, orange and red system tied to Ebola transmission intensity.
Teachers, parents press for delay
In Ituri, parents and teachers voiced concerns that the ongoing Ebola outbreak posed risks to children even as classes resumed, with the union representing teachers in Ituri province having called for a delay. A school manager, Gerlance Mahamba Mumbere, described classrooms where "the children (students) enter the classroom without shaking hands" and where hand-washing stations were placed in every corner of the classrooms. Parents warned children to be on high alert, and Noëlla Mite Apesilam said, "in the morning, before they leave the house, I tell them not to shake hands at school, not to kiss each other, and to follow the safety guidelines."
UNICEF said it was helping authorities prevent transmissions in schools, while the Associated Press reported that some schools in Ituri, especially those owned by the government, recorded low turnouts as authorities pressed ahead with the restart. Etienne Ndjabu, a teacher in a Bunia private school, said schools were equipping classrooms with noncontact infrared thermometers, hand sanitizers and hand-washing basins, and he added, "We also raise student awareness about adhering to hygiene protocols, particularly regular handwashing and the use of hand sanitizer," as experts pointed to challenges including lack of clean water and funding below target.
What’s at stake next
The reopening plan hinges on whether schools can keep teaching while Ebola transmission remains active, with the DRC Ministry of National Education introducing a three-tier system that shifts regular classroom teaching to home-based learning materials and educational programs broadcast on radio and television in red zones.
As of Aug. 31, the latest situation report issued Wednesday by the country's health authorities recorded 6,186 confirmed cases and 3,007 deaths, and it said 1,409 patients had recovered, with the epidemic active in six provinces including Ituri and North Kivu.
In Ituri, the military governor Major General Gaby Kasongo Mulumba urged schools to make Ebola prevention a routine, and during the official school return ceremony Tuesday, September 1, at the Sainte Josephine Bakhita School Complex he asked school leaders to organize weekly awareness sessions dedicated to Ebola prevention.
Afrik reported that the governor’s message left "no room for ambiguity: prevention must not wait for the appearance of a new outbreak or the multiplication of cases," and the initiative aimed to integrate prevention into children’s habits through moments such as the flag salute, minutes before recess, or the end of classes.
The stakes extend beyond classrooms, because the same Afrik account said the goal was for students to transmit messages beyond the school walls to families and communities, while the Xinhua report noted that the epidemic had crossed the threshold of 3,000 deaths in eastern DRC.