Equal Access to Education: A Peace Imperative for Burundi.

Overview & Synopsis

This report examines the status of Burundi's formal education system, focusing on elementary and secondary schooling. It addresses the issues of access to education and quality of education as well as the role of the state and donors in funding the system. It explains how the protracted civil war in Burundi has paralyzed the education system, which was already failing before the conflict began. The report finds that the majority of children in Burundi receive no formal education; boys have a better chance than girls of going through both primary and secondary school. Educational achievement is further complicated by the fact that in grades 1-4, children are taught in their native Kirundi, but by grades 5 and 6, all instruction is in French. This report focuses on: "Burundi"; "The Effects of the Conflict"; "Primary Education" (access to primary education, dropout and repetition rates, the language of instruction, changing goals of primary education, curriculum and school management, and non-formal education); "Secondary Education" (access to secondary education, community colleges, and lycees and technical schools); "University Education"; "The Teachers"; "Access to Education" (unequal access, gender and education, education for Twa minority students, and education in refugee camps); "Paying for Education" (government contributions, parent contributions, cost-effectiveness, and international donors); "Infrastructure"; "Ministry Policies to Improve Education"; and "Conclusions and Recommendations." (Contains 27 bibliographic references.) (SM)