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In Pictures

Gallery|Education

CAR: ‘To live and study in Bangui is a type of torture’

Years of conflict have devastated CAR’s educational facilities, severely impacting prospects for the country’s youth.

The Central African Republic (CAR) one of world’s least developed countries in the world even though it is rich in resources and minerals
CAR is one of the world’s least developed countries, despite being rich in resources and minerals. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
By Azad Essa and Sorin Furcoi
Published On 3 Apr 20183 Apr 2018
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Bangui, Central African Republic – Ngai Pacome, dressed in a colourful purple shirt with a backpack slung across his shoulders, keeps a smile on his face, even while describing his country’s plight.

“In some parts of the country, the situation is sad and deplorable,” says the 23-year-old Master’s students at the University of Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR).

“There is simply no economic activity because of the ongoing violence. It makes me so anxious, and all students here are worried about their future,” Pacome tells Al Jazeera.

And it’s not hard to understand why. CAR has for years tethered precariously close to anarchy, ever since armed rebels known as the Seleka removed President Francois Bozize in a coup in March 2013. The bloody takeover resulted in grotesque acts of violence, including reprisal attacks, ethnic cleansing and mass displacements.

Elections in 2016 have offered little consolation for the violence that haunted much of the country since 2013. The new government of CAR wields little or no power outside the capital, Bangui. Militia groups run up to 80 percent of the countryside, collecting taxes and running parallel administrations to the national government. 

One of the biggest casualties of the conflict has been education, and the impact on the country’s youth has been enormous.

At least 75 percent of the country’s population is younger than 35 years old. Youth unemployment is estimated to be around 12.5 percent, leaving tens of thousands vulnerable as armed groups keep operating across the country.

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Similar to countries such as Malawi, Chad and Niger, CAR’s enrolment rate in higher education is less than two percent. In sharp contrast, the global average is 26 percent.

Even for the small minority of young Central Africans who are lucky enough to make it to university, the intermittent fighting and ongoing crisis, in addition to a shortage of teachers, mean classes are often postponed or cancelled.

Some students say it can take twice as long to attain a degree compared with institutions elsewhere. 

“I want to finish my Masters in Law, but we don’t have any teachers qualified enough for this level,” Fiacre Bebenissingo, 28, says. “So I have to just wait.”

Given that Bangui itself struggles with electricity and water shortages, the university is not exempt from these hassles. Notwithstanding a lack of facilities and resources, most classroom windows at the Department of Technology are broken. The walls are chipped, and paint is peeling off most buildings. Hollow air conditioner shells litter the upper floors.

“Studying here is like a type of torture,” Benicia Toina, 18, says.

“The conditions are pushing young people to try and leave,” Toina adds.

Even before the conflict, education levels were low in the country. But since 2013, the possibilities of receiving an education have only deteriorated.

According to UNICEF, one-third of children in the CAR are missing out on an education. 

In towns and villages outside the capital, rebel leaders have taken over schools. Human Rights Watch says that even peacekeepers have used school buildings as bases or barracks, or based their forces near school grounds.

But despite the country’s many problems, including its immense educational crisis, Pacome says he won’t leave.

“What you need to understand, this is still home,” he says.

“If I leave to study elsewhere, I would have to come back, to come fix this place.”

The CAR has been beset with conflict since 2013 though the country has endured many coups and long episodes of political instability.
The country has been beset with conflict since 2013. It has endured a number of coups and long episodes of political instability. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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Under the watchful gaze of UN Mission in CAR, the capital Bangui is a lot safer and stable today, but the rest of the country remains largely under the control of militia groups
Under the watchful gaze of the UN Mission in CAR, Bangui is a lot safer and stable today, but the rest of the country remains largely under the control of militia groups. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The University of Bangui was built in 1969 and offers courses in scientific research, law, agriculture, liberal arts, economics, rural development
Built in 1969, the University of Bangui offers courses in scientific research, law, agriculture, liberal arts, economics and rural development. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
President Faustin-Archange Touadéra was a former rector of the University between 2005-08.
Between 2005 and 2008, President Faustin-Archange Touadera was the university's rector. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Twenty two-year-old Anne-Bertille Ndeysseit Vopiande says CAR is not completely decolonized from its its former colonial master France arguing that the country’s agenda is shaped by outside.
Anne-Bertille Ndeysseit Vopiande, 22, says CAR is not completely liberated from its its former colonial master, France, arguing that the country’s agenda is shaped by outside forces. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The ongoing conflict in CAR has devastated the educational and social infrastructures, setting the country back decades as government battles to find funds to support public education amid other secur
The ongoing conflict in CAR has devastated the educational and social infrastructures, setting the country back decades. The government fights to find funds to support public education amid other security priorities. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
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The university might be run down but there is also significant research into agriculture and farming techniques taking place behind the facade
The university may be run down, but it houses significant research into agriculture and farming techniques behind its facade. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Many students have friends who have had to escape Bangui due to the intermittent communal tensions between Christian and Muslim communities
Many students have friends who have had to escape Bangui due to the intermittent communal tensions between Christian and Muslim communities. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
The Faculties of Science and Medicine resemble abandoned factories
The science and medicine faculties have the look of abandoned factories about them. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Twenty-year-old Diane Ngoipe says she would leave to study or work elsewhere if she got the chance to do so
Diane Ngoipe, 22, says she would leave to study or work elsewhere if she got the chance to do so. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Ngai Pacome, 23, says he wants to become a politician and help lead CAR into the future
Ngai Pacome, 23, says he wants to become a politician and help bring better days to his country. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
Students are faced with continual postponements and cancellations to classes as the instability continues to wreak havoc on the country
Students are faced with constant postponement and cancellation of classes as instability continues to wreak havoc on the country. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
There is a quiet optimism among the students even though they are well acquinted with the continued crisis in the country
Despite the continued crisis, many students remain quietly optimistic about the future of their country. [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]


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