GITEGA July 22nd (ABP) – The Director of Civic and Patriotic Education in the Ministry of the Interior, Public Security and Community Development, Mr. Albert Nduwimana, calls on the provincial administrative and education officials to collaborate in the preparation for summer camps and civic and patriotic training for pupils on vacation which will start early August 2021 in the villages and zones of the country.
That appeal was made on Monday in Gitega (central Burundi) during an exchange meeting for the chiefs of staffs of governors and provincial directors of education or their delegates on the modalities of organizing summer camps and patriotic training.
Regarding the merits of summer camps that have become traditional during the summer holidays, Mr. Nduwimana said that those activities are of undeniable interest in terms of the supervision of pupils, and therefore to protect them against the idleness that incites often to vices. The pupils who participate in the summer camps also contribute to the development of their respective entities and to the development of the country. They also get used to teamwork, civic service and volunteering.
Patriotic and human education allows students on vacation to reinforce the knowledge acquired in class. Summer camps also play a role in social cohesion as they bring together vacationing students, out-of-school youth and even people from other social categories.
He thus invited the provincial administrative and school officials to consult with those at the communal and village levels to set up necessary mechanisms so that those camps are well organized and efficient. They were called upon to collaborate with officials-elect and development partners to put in place measures to prevent the coronavirus and the appropriate strategies to achieve better performance.
The activities planned during the summer camps are related to community development and environmental protection. The director of Civic Education and Patriotic Training cited, among other things, the maintenance of roads and gutters, the making of bricks that will be used in the construction of public infrastructure or houses of vulnerable people. This work also concerns anti-erosion control systems, the drawing of paths to protect afforestation against bush fires, the development of swamps, and so forth.
Those summer camps will be organized at village or zone level to avoid large gatherings as part of the goal of continuing preventive measures against Covid-19 contamination.