Yassinda, a textbook case

By Mahamat SENOUSSI | LNC

(Bangui, May 25, 2026 | LAMINE MEDIA) If there is one sector in the Central African Republic where there is an urgent need for action, it is national education. The situation is catastrophic, and that's an understatement. In rural villages, makeshift schools continue to house children in deplorable conditions. This is the case in Yassinda, a village not far from Bangui, yet behind the hills of the Lower Ubangi region. There, primary school students are exposed to the elements, attending classes under makeshift shelters. There, students study under simple thatched huts made of wood and palm leaves. Sitting on the dusty ground, some write in notebooks placed on their laps. The teacher's main teaching tool is a blackboard precariously hung from wooden posts. Freddy Baïlly, a fourth-grade student, explains: “I'm the fourth-grade class representative. Here, we study in difficult conditions. Our teachers are dedicated, but the conditions aren't right. We have trouble concentrating, so it's hard to learn the lessons.” During this rainy season, classes are regularly interrupted by bad weather (strong winds or heavy rain). Hector Ndomakétté, a fifth-grade student, testifies: “We are the future civil servants. But our school doesn't have any teaching materials. There are no history books, no math textbooks, and no French textbooks. Our teachers develop methods with whatever resources they have. They make a lot of effort to teach us.” As a teacher named Béni Funguizi points out: “We have 175 students. The students are afraid to come to school.” We have many problems: problems with tables, benches, buildings, teaching materials… Faced with this deplorable situation, many parents prefer to send their children to the fields rather than to school. Are they wrong?

For: LAMINE MEDIA (in FR and GB)

Date: May 25, 2026

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