Learning falters as Ebola and conflict cripple universities

Educational institutions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including universities, have remained open despite an Ebola outbreak, which has spread from Ituri province towards the east, also surfacing in Goma, Butembo, as well as North and South Kivu, during the past few days.

Health Minister Roger Kamba earlier said no lockdown of educational institutions was foreseen and a risk-mapping assessment approach was preferred, but this was before 220 suspected deaths and 1,000 infections were recorded.

At the Université de Goma (University of Goma), students say epidemics are not just stories they watch on television or read about in medical textbooks.

“When people talk about preventive measures … it is a matter of collective survival,” said Jean Migambi, a third-year student at the university.

Each morning, students arrive at the campus in a hurry, only to find long queues forming in front of large chlorinated water containers where everyone is required to wash their hands.

When the conflict in the region is not preventing students from going to class, they have to sit in overcrowded classes, packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

Said Migambi: “What is the point of washing our hands if we spend four hours sitting pressed against each other?”

Although universities have formally remained open, the Ebola outbreak adds another layer of turmoil to the safety and security situation in the eastern DRC, which has already severely impacted higher education.

In the meantime, fighting between the M23 militia and the Armed Forces of the DRC (Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo, or FARDC) intensifies, universities in the eastern DRC are struggling to function, with lecturers fleeing, internet-based learning faltering, and junior staff attempting to keep courses alive under worsening conditions.

The sound of gunfire no longer only terrorises villages in North Kivu and South Kivu. It is now silencing university lecture halls in cities such as Goma and Bukavu.

Eastern DRC has endured decades of armed conflict fuelled by ethnic tensions, competition over mineral resources, weak state control, and the presence of dozens of armed groups.

The resurgence of the M23 rebellion since late 2021 has deepened instability across North and South Kivu, with the movement seizing strategic territories, triggering mass displacement, disrupting transport networks and heightening insecurity in major urban centres.

Roads have become dangerous, airports operate under uncertainty, and daily life has been militarised. While international attention has largely focused on the humanitarian toll and regional diplomacy, education has become another casualty, suffering quietly.

More than 130 universities in eastern Congo are now directly or indirectly affected by the violence, with thousands of students watching semesters shrink, research stall and graduation prospects fade.

A broken bridge from Kinshasa

For years, universities in eastern Congo depended heavily on experienced lecturers travelling from institutions such as the University of Kinshasa and the University of Kisangani. Besides teaching, these academics supervised postgraduate research, taught specialised courses and validated masters and doctoral programmes. That system is now close to collapse.

“The bridge between Kinshasa and the East has been broken,” said Professor Alphonse Wawa, a senior lecturer, in a phone interview from Kinshasa.

Wawa offers courses at different universities both in Kinshasa and in eastern DRC. He used to travel from Kinshasa to the eastern part where he taught in different universities.

“Travelling to eastern Congo now feels like walking into a war zone. Airports are tense, roads are blocked by fighting, and transport costs have skyrocketed,” he said.

“We can no longer teach physically and, for many of us, that is heartbreaking because we know students are paying the price,” he added.

Emergency teaching replaces quality

To prevent universities from shutting down completely, local academic staff have been forced into survival mode. Assistants and junior lecturers now teach courses beyond their specialisation, often handling overwhelming workloads with little institutional support.

Jean-Claude Nondo, an assistant lecturer in sociology at the University for Peace (Université de la Paix), described the pressure facing local educators.

“I was hired to assist in sociology courses, but now I am teaching advanced research methodology classes that normally require senior academic qualifications,” he said. “We teach from morning to evening, constantly improvising so students do not abandon school entirely. But we must be honest with ourselves that this is emergency teaching, not quality higher education,” he said.

He added that, elsewhere, laboratories remain closed, supervision of dissertations has stalled, and some students could graduate with incomplete academic preparation.

Students fear a ‘lost generation’

For students, the conflict has transformed education from a path to opportunity into another source of uncertainty.

Justin Mwenze, a final-year engineering student at the Higher Institute of Applied Techniques, said the difference between his generation and those who studied before the latest escalation is stark.

“A semester that should last six months is now compressed into three chaotic months of rushed lectures,” he said. “Our notes are half-empty, practical sessions are cancelled, and many professors never arrive. How are we supposed to defend serious dissertations under these conditions?”

Many students in eastern Congo view a university degree as their only escape from poverty, displacement and militia violence. Watching the education system deteriorate has intensified feelings of abandonment.

“We already live with the fear of war every day,” Mwenze added. “Now we also fear graduating without the skills needed to compete anywhere else in the country.”

Digital learning falls short

In response to the crisis, universities and government authorities attempted to shift courses online through e-learning platforms such as Zoom. Students say the strategy has largely failed.

Reliable electricity and affordable internet access, both essential for virtual education, remain luxuries in eastern Congo.

Sarah Wetemwami, a law student at the Official University of Bukavu, said online learning was inaccessible for most families already devastated by war.

“They speak to us about digital modernisation, but our internet connection disappears every few minutes,” she said. “In theory, every student should follow classes individually on their phone. In reality, many of us cannot even afford enough data for one lecture.”

For many educators, the fear is no longer simply about interrupted semesters, but about losing an entire generation of doctors, engineers, lawyers and researchers before they ever have the chance to emerge.

Fear and reluctance to travel

A senior official at Université d’Enseignement Supérieur et Universitaire Centrée sur la Promotion du Management et du Développement (a higher education institution focused on promoting management and development), who spoke anonymously for fear of repercussions, said many lecturers are reluctant to teach in territories under rebels’ control.

“Some universities are ready to cover every transport expense to bring professors from Kinshasa to Goma or Bukavu because entire faculties depend on visiting lecturers,” he said. “But many academics fear being associated with rebel-held areas. Some worry their professional credentials or careers could suffer simply for accepting assignments there,” he added.

The official said the university normally rotates lecturers across its campuses in 12 provinces, but the conflict has made those movements increasingly