DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050: SPECIAL REPORT

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the education system of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), detailing its structure, progress in literacy and gender parity, and the persistent challenges of low quality and high dropout rates. It highlights the impact of the 2019 implementation of free primary education and the role of international funding from the World Bank to improve human capital by 2050.

• The education system in the DR Congo is a hybrid model where the Catholic Church is the most significant actor, organizing most education while the state is theoretically responsible for funding.
• Adult literacy rates in the DR Congo improved from 61.2% in 2007 to 79.5% in 2019, and are forecasted to reach 98% by 2050, which exceeds the projected average for low-income Africa of 91%.
• Educational completion and transition rates are very low across all levels, with an estimated 50% of university students dropping out before their third year. Primary obstacles include financial constraints—cited by 64% of households in a 2018 survey—widespread malnutrition, and the difficulty of transitioning from mother tongues to French.
• Free primary education in public schools, though enshrined in the 2006 Constitution and 2014 law, was only implemented in September 2019 by President Tshisekedi, granting access to an additional 2.5 million children. However, this raises concerns regarding the government's ability to fund annual costs estimated at over US$1 billion and the system's capacity to absorb new learners.
• Gender parity in education has improved, particularly in primary education where the parity ratio rose from 0.81 in 2007 to an estimated 0.99 in 2019. Secondary parity rose from 0.5 in 2007 to 0.70 in 2019, and tertiary parity rose from 0.35 in 2007 to roughly 0.60 in 2019.
• The quality of education in the DR Congo is poor and ranks 40th out of 44 African countries. Learners scored 318 out of 625 on Harmonised Test Scores, compared to an African average of 374. Low quality is attributed to overcrowded classrooms, obsolete equipment, and a shortage of skilled teaching staff. Furthermore, government spending on education was 2.5% of GDP in 2019, below the sub-Saharan African average of 4.3%.
• On 16 June 2020, the World Bank approved US$1 billion in loans and grants for the DR Congo. US$800 million is designated for the free primary education programme in the Kinshasa, East, and Centre provinces, and US$200 million is for health emergencies in 14 provinces.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2023). DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050: SPECIAL REPORT. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=06-education

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050: SPECIAL REPORT. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=06-education.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050: SPECIAL REPORT |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=15 May 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=06-education |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2023development, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050: SPECIAL REPORT}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=06-education}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }