CANKUZO, Feb. 20 (ABP) – Buhumuza province expresses a need for more than 2,600 teachers. This was revealed by the official in charge of statistics within this provincial education office, Mr. Elie Nimubona, during an interview on Thursday, February 19, 2026 with ABP.
Of the more than 300 teachers who are no longer working in the provincial directorate of education in Buhumuza, more than 50 have gone abroad, as indicated by the planning and statistics officer in the directorate, Mr. Elie Niyimubona, since the start of the current school year. Despite the recent recruitment of more than 350 new teachers, more than 2,300 teachers are still needed in the province, including more than 1,500 lacking in basic schools and more than 400 at the nursery school level.
Mr. Niyimubona noted that this situation hinders supervision and access to quality education in the province, given that even administrative staff are leaving. He gave the example of the departure of the headmaster of Mugongo Basic School in Cankuzo commune and the director of studies at Nyankanda High School in Ruyigi commune, who are no longer at their posts.
During a public afternoon program on Thursday, February 19, 2026, broadcast jointly by the National Radio of Burundi and Nderagakura School Radio, the minister of national education and scientific research, Dr. François Havyarimana, confirmed the massive desertion of teachers and university professors, stating that insufficient salaries are among the main causes. However, he urged teachers and professors to remain at work.
Minister Havyarimana also called on all education personnel in particular and other civil servants in general to redouble their efforts to boost the country’s economy so that the government can find sufficient means to increase salaries.
He took the opportunity to announce that teachers who desert must be replaced by unemployed graduates, but that it is difficult to replace more than 40 PhD holders who have already left.