GITEGA November 2nd (ABP) – The Burundi Head of State, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, called on the Burundians in general and state officials in particular to change mentalities in order to be able to effectively engage Burundi on the path of development. He delivered that exhortation during a moralization session for those responsible for the education sector that he led on Friday, October 29, 2021, in the premises of the paramedical school of Gitega, located in the political capital of the country.
By changing mentalities, the Head of State wants the Burundians to get rid of ideas that swallow up initiatives aimed at their development, according to the deputy spokesperson for the President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Alain-Diomède Nzeyimana.
He cited the ethnicist ideas inoculated into the Burundians by the colonizers.
The President of the Republic deplored that those ideas were a lot of time in Burundi in all aspects, said Mr. Nzeyimana. “There is no ethnic group in Burundi, there is only one Burundian nation” said Mr. Nzeyimana, citing the Burundi Head of State.
Staff in the education sector were asked to get involved in providing student youth with quality education. “The low level of learners is the responsibility of the teachers, like a low production of an agricultural field which is the responsibility of the farmer.” Despite this, President Ndayishimiye appreciated the work of the young people grouped together in development associations. “They have taken good note of the lessons we are giving them and their returns are satisfactory,” admitted the Burundi Head of State.
He asked the rest of the people to follow suit. In order to make the commune the development pole of the country, each ministry will have to have its representation in all the communes of the country and the national budget will be decided accordingly, according to the deputy spokesperson of the Burundi Head of State.
As for state officials, the President of the Republic also asked to change mentality in order to be able to live easily. He recommended that they undertake self-development activities to fill the gap in their salaries.
At the end of the aforementioned meeting, President Ndayishimiye handed over to the Minister of National Education and Scientific Research 18 vehicles intended for the Provincial Directorates of Education (DPE), at the rate of one vehicle per DPE. Those vehicles are the heritage of the State and must be used for educational purposes and in support of state services, if necessary, said the head of state. It also handed over 137 computers, including 18 computers to the DPE and 119 to the communal education directorates (DCE), at the rate of one computer per DCE.