A distinguished voice emerges in Congolese education research
The auditorium of Marien-Ngouabi University in Brazzaville fell into an attentive silence on 12 September as Reine Mervine Gankama defended her master’s thesis in quantitative economics. Entitled “The Weight of Socio-demographic and Extra-school Factors on School Dropout in Congo,” the 150-page study earned the highest honours—16/20 with unanimous congratulations—underscoring both its scientific depth and its social relevance. Presiding over the panel, lecturer Samba Bruno praised a “methodologically impeccable and socially resonant contribution,” while the two other jurors, Mavoungou Soula Ulrich and supervisor M’Piayi Auguste, echoed the sentiment.
In a national context where the Ministry of Pre-school, Primary, Secondary and Literacy Education regularly reiterates its commitment to inclusive schooling, the thesis arrives as a timely analytical tool rather than a mere academic exercise.
Econometric scrutiny of 202 Brazzaville pupils
Under the dual supervision of Professor Rufin-Willy Mantsie and lecturer M’Piayi Auguste, the researcher assembled a representative sample of 202 pupils distributed across the nine districts of Brazzaville. Drawing on household questionnaires and school records, she converted qualitative insights into quantitative variables amenable to econometric testing.
Probit and multinomial logit models were mobilised to reveal marginal effects and odds ratios, thereby isolating the factors most correlated with premature departure from school. According to the jury, the robust specification of these models enhances the external validity of the findings, making them potentially applicable to other urban centres in the Republic of Congo.
Household capital and urban hazards at the heart of the findings
Three clusters of determinants emerged with statistical salience. First, the educational attainment of the father functions as a critical predictor up to the end of lower secondary school. Pupils whose fathers completed at least upper secondary education recorded a markedly reduced dropout probability, illustrating the intergenerational transmission of educational capital.
Second, nutritional security surfaced as a non-academic yet decisive factor. Inadequate daily meals heighten vulnerability to absenteeism and disengagement, an observation coherent with multiple UNESCO diagnostics that identify nutrition as a silent driver of inequality.
Third, extra-school risks—urban insecurity, juvenile delinquency and the presence of dropout histories within the household—exert an amplifying effect. The study notes that pupils living in neighbourhoods with elevated crime indices are more likely to abandon schooling before transitioning to tertiary education.
From data to action: the case for school meals and parental outreach
Rather than remaining in the realm of descriptive analytics, Reine Mervine Gankama ventures into policy-oriented terrain. She advocates the institutionalisation of school canteens, arguing that one guaranteed meal a day could offset household food insecurity and keep vulnerable children engaged. Parallel to nutritional interventions, she places parental awareness campaigns at the centre of a holistic retention strategy, insisting that guardians be sensitised to the long-term returns of uninterrupted schooling.
In her words, “guaranteeing at least one meal and reinforcing parental responsibility are mutually reinforcing levers capable of shifting the dropout curve”.
Governance and the leverage of targeted scholarships
The thesis further invites the State to fine-tune its social-assistance toolkit through need-oriented bursaries. By directing scholarships toward pupils from low-income households who nonetheless demonstrate academic potential, public authorities could create an incentive structure that rewards perseverance while cushioning economic shocks. Such an approach aligns with existing government priorities to expand human-capital formation, and it dovetails with regional aspirations articulated in CEMAC education frameworks.
Experts in attendance emphasised that these recommendations, far from being prescriptive, provide a calibrated menu that policymakers may adapt to budgetary and administrative realities.
À retenir
This thesis underscores the complexity of dropout, blending household, nutritional and urban-security variables in a single explanatory matrix. Its central claim—that modest, well-targeted interventions can yield significant gains in retention—places human development at the confluence of social policy and macroeconomic strategy.
Le point juridique/éco
From a legal-economic perspective, the study reminds stakeholders that effective schooling is both a constitutional right and a growth catalyst. The Congolese legislator has already enshrined compulsory education, yet enforcement gaps persist. By quantifying the private and social returns to completion, the thesis could bolster the case for budgetary allocations consistent with the government’s commitment to equitable development, thereby reinforcing fiscal credibility and investor confidence.