GITEGA, November 14th (ABP) – The communal director of education (DCE) of Gitega, in the commune and province of Gitega (center of the country), Mr. Nepomucene Ndayavugwa, has awarded certificates of honour and a sum of 150 thousand BIF each to zealous teachers. He also verbally awarded certificates of shame to irresponsible teachers. That was on Friday, November 8, 2024, during the ceremonies celebrating International Teachers’ Day.
Placed under the national theme “Valuing the voice of the teaching profession”, that day was enhanced by the presence of two parliamentarians elected in the Gitega constituency, the Gitega communal administrator, school authorities and teachers from the aforementioned DCE.
In his opening remarks, DCE Gitega said that the aim of the day was to give teachers and their supervisors an opportunity to assess themselves, so as to further improve their performance. He thanked the zealous teachers and encouraged them to continue in the same vein. As for the irresponsible ones, he asked them to do away with that degrading behaviour, which has a negative impact on the development of young people in their regions and Burundi in general.
Among those teachers, he deplored, are the drunkards, the lazy ones who give pupils unexplained marks, and others who don’t prepare their teaching subjects. Worse still, he says, there are womanizers among their pupils, and even rapists. Two cases of rape were recorded last school year, he regretfully revealed.
As for the provincial director of education, Mme Godefride Hakizimana, she called on teachers and their hierarchical authorities to provide quality teaching in line with the national vision of a Burundi emerging in 2040 and developed in 2060.
In his turn, the administrator of the commune of Gitega, Dr. Jacques Nduwimana, expressed his satisfaction with the performance of the teaching staff, particularly the teachers, who were dedicated to service. He thanked the private investors in the education sector, arguing that they were making a major contribution to the emergence of the country’s political capital, Gitega. He promised unfailing support for the education sector, which he described as a cornerstone of the country’s development.
Circumstantial entertainment groups also sang and danced in praise of the teaching profession. The ceremonies ended with a fraternal drink.