Reshaping the reach of the state: the politics of teacher payment reform in the DR Congo

Abstract

We analyse the politics of the reform of teacher payment modalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in light of the uneven territorial reach of the DRC state. The reform focused on extending this reach by paying all teachers via a bank account, replacing long-standing shared governance arrangements between state and faith-based organisations with a public-private partnership. By using qualitative and quantitative data, we map the political practices accompanying the implementation of the reform. While the reform itself was officially deemed a success, its intended effects were almost completely offset in rural areas. Moreover, governance of teacher payments was not rationalised but instead became even more complex and spatially differentiated. In sum, the reform has rendered governance processes more opaque and deepened the existing unevenness in the geography of statehood.

Researching Teacher Well-Being in Protracted Crises: A Multiscalar Cultural Political Economy Perspective

“…The reform had no immediate impact on nonpaid teachers, while it significantly affected paid teachers. In short, the reform has had spatially differentiated impact, addressing major grievances of urban teachers while negatively affecting rural teachers because of the large distances they have to travel (Brandt and De Herdt 2020). Because of insecurity while traveling from homes to banks or other payment points, some teachers face temporary difficulties obtaining their salaries (Brandt and De Herdt 2020).…”

“…In short, the reform has had spatially differentiated impact, addressing major grievances of urban teachers while negatively affecting rural teachers because of the large distances they have to travel (Brandt and De Herdt 2020). Because of insecurity while traveling from homes to banks or other payment points, some teachers face temporary difficulties obtaining their salaries (Brandt and De Herdt 2020). Second, after a first attempt of ill-implemented gratuité (free primary education) in 2010, in August 2019 President Tshisekedi announced immediate gratuité.…”

“… See Brandt (2014 andBrandt and De Herdt (2020) for more details on each study.RESEARCHING TEACHER WELL-BEING IN PROTRACTED CRISESComparative Education Review…”

Marginalisation from Education in Conflict-Affected Contexts: Learning from Tanganyika and Ituri in the DR Congo

“…Cultural and political marginalisation. Specific groups can be structurally marginalised from education, particularly in countries with uneven territorial reach of the education system such as the DRC (Brandt and De Herdt 2019).…”