By Kudra Maliro
Under a tarpaulin roof that passes off as a classroom, Rufin Kambale teaches geography to fourth-graders at Sayo Primary School, one among many such makeshift structures in the conflict-ridden North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Under the scorching sun or during periods of heavy rain typical of the region, these temporary facilities built by UNICEF appear visibly inadequate.
Holes in the roof allow the sun's rays and dust to pass through freely. The young learners may have become accustomed to this, but their teacher can see them struggling to focus.
"It is difficult for children to attend classes when the facilities are in such bad shape. Not only do their grades drop, they also fall behind the national curriculum," Rufin tells TRT Afrika.
No report cards
The school was relocated from Sayo, some 10 kilometres from the town of Beni, to shield it from repeated attacks by militants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
Several schools in the conflict zone have long shut down, forcing students to stay home all day or do odd jobs to survive.
"I have been in and out of school since the first attack on our village in 2016," says Josias, 24.
According to UNICEF, nearly a million children have been displaced by rebel attacks in North and South Kivu provinces.
Josias, like so many other young people who have fled recurrent attacks by ADF rebels in the Beni region, seeks clearly elusive refuge in drugs whenever he can't make sense of the gloom.
At other times, he sells shoes for a living, forgetting his dream of becoming a doctor.
All his school report cards were reduced to ashes in a fire when his village was attacked.
Cry for support
Josias's state of mind mirrors that of scores of younger children in schools for the displaced.
Esdras Kambasu, headmaster of the Ecole Primaire D'application in Beni, points out that most pupils are often disoriented in class. He would like to see special support systems for these children.
"The displaced pupils follow the same course as other children. They benefit from free schooling but are often behind the national curriculum. To catch up, each parent can pay for a tutor for their child. But that makes the system unequal," he tells TRT Afrika.
During a visit to the DRC, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the international community needs to wake up to the security crisis in the eastern part of the country.
Nearly 300,000 people have fled to the city of Goma and the surrounding areas. As clashes continue, the humanitarian crisis worsens, exacerbating the plight of the 7.2 million-odd people already displaced by the violence.
Hunt for rebels
"We will continue to advocate respect for human rights, especially the rights of displaced people," says Türk.
Not getting enough to eat means these kids come to school too hungry to concentrate on their studies. It's a vicious cycle that makes the humanitarian effort all the more challenging.
Many teachers have also been displaced by the insecurity leaving them struggling as much as the children.
The DRC government has repeatedly accused its neighbour and Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which Kigali denies.
Kinshasa has also ended the mandate of a regional East African force, which it accuses of failing to tackle rebel violence.
In December 2023, the country requested assistance from the Southern African Development Community mission "to support the Congolese government in its efforts to restore peace and security in eastern DRC".
Hope for peace
This force, which includes troops from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania, has been deployed in the DRC to combat armed groups, including the M23, which is active in the eastern part of the country.
Despite the rebel attacks and the difficult life in the camps for displaced people on the outskirts of Goma, scores of learners are hoping to return to their communities and get back to school, as in the good old days.
Rose Batumike, a 17-year-old girl who has lived in the Goma camp since fleeing M23 attacks in Rutsuru, isn't giving up on her dream of returning to school to earn her baccalaureate.
"Let the Congolese government hunt down these rebels as quickly as possible so that I can be back home to continue my studies...I don't know anything about politics. My only wish is for peace to return to the DRC," the teenager tells TRT Afrika.
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