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Students in eastern Congo are sitting for their future-defining national exams despite ongoing gunfire and conflict in the region, demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity. More than 31,000 students, including over 14,000 girls, are taking the examen d’État, the country’s most important academic test, in North Kivu Province, where the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have tightened their grip since late 2022.
In Goma, Masisi, and Rutshuru territories—areas controlled by M23—the exams are being supervised not by the Congolese government but by Shadrack Amani Mukuba, a deputy governor appointed by the rebels. Despite the political complexities, local teachers insist that education must continue, regardless of the flag flying above their schools. “We cannot let an entire generation slip through the cracks,” said one school director in Goma.
The continuation of exams in active conflict zones has been made possible in part by UNICEF, which transported sealed trunks of exam papers from Kinshasa to all corners of North Kivu, including rebel-held regions. According to UNICEF, more than 1.6 million children are out of school due to escalating violence and displacement, with over 2,500 schools forced to close.
At the launch ceremony in Goma, Chief Education Inspector Sosthene Mpanga reassured students, telling them that the exams follow the same national curriculum they studied. However, many students did not show up due to fear, displacement, and impassable roads.
Despite the challenges, students like 19-year-old Plamedie Byamungu remain determined. “We thought it would be impossible to take the exams this year, but we were ready. The war didn’t unbalance us. We’ve been preparing since the beginning,” she said.
Education has become an act of defiance against war in eastern Congo, where classrooms have turned into front lines and schoolyards into checkpoints. The return of exams marks a tentative step toward normalcy, offering hope to a generation determined to secure their future despite the chaos surrounding them.