A brand-new school for Mfilou
Classroom windows still smell of fresh paint as the brand-new Louis Ngambio Lower Secondary School finally opens its gates in Brazzaville’s seventh arrondissement, Mfilou. The facility, inspected on 10 November by Minister of Preschool, Primary, Secondary and Literacy Jean Luc Mouthou, instantly became the neighborhood’s headline.
Built inside the existing Louis Ngambio primary campus, the modern block gives local pupils a long-promised option to continue their studies without crossing town. Five bright classrooms, a teachers’ lounge, sanitary units and a shaded courtyard mark a first phase already greeted with cheers.
Parents rejoice at shorter journeys
For years, many teenagers from Mfilou squeezed into crowded buses before dawn to reach distant collèges in Makélékélé or the city centre. The daily commute, sometimes over ten kilometres, translated into fatigue, lateness and safety concerns, especially during the rainy season.
Association of Parents and Students of Congo (APEEC) branch president Narcisse Ngabanou recalls receiving dozens of complaints every term. “Some learners left at five in the morning,” he says. “Now they can have breakfast at home and still be on time for the first bell.”
Neighbours also expect wallet relief. A monthly transport budget of 8,000 to 12,000 CFA francs per child weighed on family finances. Saving that money, parents say, can now fund textbooks or a better internet bundle to follow televised homework programmes promoted by the ministry.
Mouthou outlines presidential vision
Minister Mouthou reminded reporters that the initiative came “in the direct line of President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s instructions to bring schools closer to citizens.” During his walkthrough he carefully checked ventilation, chalk supplies and inclusive access ramps before urging residents to register their children immediately.
He insisted the site is not a temporary annex but the nucleus of a complete lower-secondary cycle. “From sixième to troisième, every learner will be able to graduate here and sit for the Brevet examination under the same standards as any public collège,” the minister stated.
Education analysts see the announcement as part of the government’s Emergency Plan for Quality Education, launched last year with support from the World Bank and UNICEF. Its blueprint highlights construction of 600 new classrooms nationwide to absorb rising enrolment and cut class sizes.
From primary yard to full lower secondary
The idea of grafting a collège onto an existing primary school is gaining traction in peri-urban areas where land is scarce and costly. Engineers reused foundations of an old storage shed for the science room and installed solar panels on the roof to lower bills.
Head-teacher Charlotte Mamba, previously deputy at Lycée Chaminade, notes that staff recruitment favoured local talent. Four of the eight teachers live within walking distance, which, she says, “sets an example of community commitment and limits tardiness linked to traffic on Avenue de l’OUA”.
Current facilities include a small digital corner equipped with ten government-donated tablets preloaded with math and French exercises. Mamba hopes to double the number through partnerships with telecom operators, arguing that blended learning proved its worth during Covid-19 interruptions and should now become routine.
Countdown to 2025-2026 intake
The school officially enters the system in the 2025-2026 calendar with two grades: sixième and cinquième, totalling 517 places. Registration will open in May for pupils from Louis Ngambio and neighbouring primary schools, using a first-come, first-served procedure overseen by the district inspectorate.
Uniform suppliers in Mfilou market have already begun stocking the grey-and-turquoise colours selected by a students’ vote. “We want to build a look that stands out yet stays affordable,” explains tailor José Lokwa, who pegs the full kit at 9,500 CFA francs, fabric included.
The ministry anticipates a teaching staff of twelve next year, supported by two guidance counsellors and a nurse. According to sources inside the academy, priority will go to educators mastering both conventional chalkboard methods and the new competency-based approach rolling out nationwide.
Building futures close to home
Educational sociologist Pierrette Kaya believes neighbourhood schools like Louis Ngambio act as social glue. “When a child studies near home, parents attend meetings, businesses sell snacks, and sporting associations use the yard after class. The whole area turns into a learning ecosystem,” she notes.
In Mfilou, that ecosystem could soon include evening literacy classes for adults and weekend football clinics, programmes already piloted in Talangaï. The local mayor’s office says talks are advancing to fence the pitch and light it with LEDs so youth teams can train safely.
Standing in the new courtyard, Minister Mouthou summarised the ambition: “Every kilometre we shorten between a pupil and knowledge is an extra chance for success.” As bells rang for a test run, that chance felt tangible for the first generation of Louis Ngambio collège students.
The project also signals confidence in Mfilou’s demographic boom. National Institute of Statistics indicates the arrondissement gains nearly 6,000 residents yearly. By anticipating that growth with classrooms, planners hope to avoid overcrowding that still plagues older collèges where some classes exceed 80 pupils.
