Repenser la disponibilité des manuels scolaires en RDC

Le rapport de l’Examen national 2015 de l’Education pour tous, rédigé et publié par les autorités gouvernementales de la République Démocratique du Congo, énonce quelques domaines prioritaires pour lesquels le gouvernement entend engager des ressources importantes. Il est notamment la dotation de manuels scolaires aux élèves, dont 3 au minimum par enfant. A ce jour, il n’existe aucune politique de telle nature ; les parents ont en général la responsabilité de rechercher les manuels scolaires dans les librairies, sur demande des établissements scolaires. Le coût élevé et la rareté de quelques livres en librairie orientent quelques-uns vers les marchands de bric-à-brac.

The issue of the content of the textbooks

The textbook is used to assist the teacher while transmitting knowledge to the students. This book is conceived according to the pedagogic objectives designed by the government. Authors will then write their books and defend their value toward the ministers charged to choose the textbooks of the academic year. Generally the government studies all the textbooks proposed to him and chooses the best according to the objectives it has set down. This year with the coming back of the one textbook policy, many textbooks have been discovered for the first time. Teachers, students as well as parents express their opinions about these new textbooks.

School without textbook

Textbooks seem to stand in a core position in our schools. Teachers make them mandatory for students, and parents suffer a lot to afford them. To the question why we do automatically need textbooks, Mr. Bushu, teacher in class V says that when every student has his textbook, teaching is easier and takes less time; students just have to open their book and read lessons inside. No need to write the whole lesson on the board again. Mrs.  Arey thinks that once a student has his textbook, he gets used with reading by himself, even at school or at home, especially for reading lessons that would not be over during classes.

Textbooks scarcity in libraries

One month after school has resumed, the scarcity of textbooks is still flagrant in Cameroon. Students have started classes without these textbooks and teachers are also managing without it. Parents complain about the situation.