The 2025–2026 school year: A priority for the most vulnerable children

Under the joyful sounds of music and drums, we enter the Busiga Communal Lycée, located in Busiga commune, Butanyerera province. A crowd of children in uniforms of various colors welcomes us warmly. Their faces reveal immense joy: it is indeed the opening day of the 2025–2026 school year.

This launch ceremony was attended by several public figures and development partners in the education sector, including UNICEF, the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union, United Nations System agencies (UNHCR, WFP), and civil society organizations such as JRS and World Vision. The Minister of National Education and Scientific Research (MENRS), Professor François Havyarimana, accompanied by the Permanent Secretaries and senior officials of the ministry, honored the event with his presence.

After the welcome speech by the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Butanyerera Province, Mrs. Delphine Van Landschoot, Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union, took the floor on behalf of the sector’s technical and financial partners. She reaffirmed the partners’ commitment to supporting the Government of Burundi in ensuring inclusive and quality education for all children across the country.

In his speech, the Minister summarized the progress made during the 2024–2025 school year. He emphasized the importance of continuing education for teachers to improve the quality of teaching, as well as the construction of boarding schools to accommodate approximately 5,000 additional students. He also urged teachers to exercise discipline and dedication, reminding them of their essential role in building the future of Burundi’s children.

The official ceremonies, held under the theme “Consolidating quality education through improved curricula and the promotion of boarding schools,” concluded with a powerful gesture: the distribution of school supplies to the most vulnerable children. This symbolic moment marked the official launch of the 2025–2026 “Back to School” campaign.

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to go to school this year because my parents couldn’t buy me school supplies. But now that I have notebooks, I’ll be able to take notes easily and stay organized,” said a grateful pupil, smiling after receiving his supplies.

In addition to this distribution, awards were presented to students who achieved the highest marks in five provinces across the country during the previous school year, to encourage academic excellence.

The MENRS delegation, accompanied by development partners, then moved on to Muyange, in the former province of Kayanza, for another significant ceremony: the handover of new school facilities to the Muyange Fundamental School. A large crowd gathered on site, students in uniform, parents, teachers, and residents from the surrounding hills, to celebrate the inauguration. The symbolic ribbon was cut by the Minister of Education, in the presence of the UNICEF Representative, the Head of the AFD Office in Burundi, the Head of Mission of the European Union, and the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Butanyerera Province.

“These new infrastructures will help more than 1,700 students by providing them with a safe, healthy, and inclusive learning environment,” said Mrs. France Bégin, UNICEF Representative, during the handover of the school to the Government of Burundi.

Thanks to the Twige Neza project, supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the French Development Agency (AFD), the Muyange Fundamental School now benefits from reinforced and up-to-date infrastructure. The school has received 13 classrooms, including a two-story building with eight new classrooms and five completely renovated ones. These classrooms have been equipped with 325 desks, 13 tables and chairs for teachers, as well as several facilities improving access to water, hygiene, and sanitation.

The project also enabled the construction of four latrine blocks, comprising 13 latrines for girls and 13 for boys, and a block of three latrines reserved for teachers. To strengthen the resilience of the infrastructure, six rainwater harvesting systems were installed, along with 24 water points to promote school hygiene.

Participants at the launch ceremony visited the new facilities. Addressing the large crowd, the Minister of Education emphasized: “These facilities must be well maintained. They are educational spaces for our children. It is important to take care of them regularly, keep them clean and safe, and use them properly.”

Just like in Ngozi, the children of Muyange also received school supplies, and the school’s teachers were given boxes of chalk for their daily work.

At the national level, 3,000,000 notebooks will be distributed to children from the most vulnerable families as part of the “Back to School” campaign. More than 500,000 children will benefit from this support, helping to reduce the burden on parents at the start of the school year.