Covering back-to-school costs in Burundi: advances, COOPECs and savings
In Burundi, school credit mostly takes the form of salary advances or small back-to-school loans from banks and COOPECs in August and September; it covers uniforms, supplies, boarding and private school fees, as public basic education charges no tuition.
September, the peak of school spending
The Burundian school year starts in September, right after the holidays. Families then have to buy uniforms, exercise books, shoes and sometimes a mattress for boarding school, just when the year's savings are often exhausted.
Public basic schools and extra costs
Tuition fees were abolished at public primary schools in 2005, and these are now part of basic education. Contributions to parents' associations, school supplies and uniforms nevertheless remain, and they weigh heavily on large households.
Private schools and boarding
In Bujumbura, Gitega or Ngozi, private and faith-based schools charge termly or annual fees that can be high. Post-basic boarding schools add board and a kit list, pushing many parents, salaried workers and farmers alike, to borrow every year.
Back-to-school salary advances
Several banks offer an advance in August, repayable over a few months, to employees whose pay is domiciled with them. This product follows the rules of a personal loan in Burundi, but with a capped amount and a short term.
School loans from COOPECs
COOPECs and the CECM offer their members school loans backed by their savings. Some also encourage dedicated school savings throughout the year, released just before term starts in order to limit how much families need to borrow.
Paying the school through Lumicash or EcoCash
Some schools accept fees paid through Lumicash or EcoCash, which avoids queues. Parents should keep the electronic receipt and ask the school for a receipt stating the pupil's name and the period covered.
Farming families and the school calendar
For rural households, the new school year arrives before or during certain harvests. Selling the crop too early at a low price or borrowing from a neighbour are common practices, at a high cost to the family economy.
Back-to-school tontines among parents
Groups of parents organise rotating contributions so that each family receives a large sum before term starts. This solidarity, described on the page about peer-to-peer lending in Burundi, works when members know each other well.
School terms and repayment dates
A back-to-school loan should be repaid before the next term's bill arrives. Otherwise, the parent ends up borrowing again in January and then in April, turning one-off help into permanent debt.
After the state exam: university costs in Burundi
When a child passes the state examination, further costs arrive with university enrolment. Funding for higher education, including the state loan-scholarship, is presented in detail on the page about student loans in Burundi.
Fake offers of school kits on credit
On social media, fake traders offer school kits on credit in return for a deposit paid by mobile money. It is safer to buy from well-known bookshops and shops in Bujumbura or in your own commune.
How Tanzania funds the new school year
In Tanzania, banks and microfinance institutions also offer loans tied to school fees, often repayable before the end of term. The guide to school fee loans in Tanzania describes a wider range of offers, including digital ones.
Planning how to pay for the Burundian school year
- In July, list each child's costs: uniforms, supplies, boarding and private school fees.
- Compare the bank's salary advance with the COOPEC's school loan.
- Check that the loan will be cleared before the next term's bill.
- Submit the application in August with supporting documents, before the rush of requests.
- Pay the school directly and keep every receipt in each pupil's name.
Back-to-school spending and the cost of financing it
| Item | How it is paid | What makes it vary |
|---|---|---|
| Private school fees | Per term or per year | School and grade |
| Boarding and kit | Before term starts | School, distance from home |
| Uniforms and supplies | In August and September | Number of children |
| Salary advance | Repaid over a few months | Bank and salary |
| COOPEC school loan | Backed by savings | By-laws and length of membership |
Paperwork Burundian lenders want for a school loan
- Parent's national identity card
- Payslips and domiciliation for a bank advance
- Savings passbook for a COOPEC
- Invoice or list of fees provided by the school
- Children's enrolment certificates
Financial pitfalls at the start of the school year
- Borrowing every term without having repaid the previous loan, which locks the family into permanent debt.
- Paying school fees in cash without a receipt, then having to pay again for lack of proof when checks are made.
- Selling the crop before it is ripe at a very low price to cover school costs, at the expense of the whole year's income.
- Paying a deposit to a fake school kit seller advertised on Facebook, who disappears without delivering the goods.
Lenders to contact
- Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura (BCB): Bujumbura commercial bank linked to the Bank of Africa group, offering banking services and financing to Burundian individuals and businesses.
- Banque Commerciale du Burundi (Bancobu): Burundian commercial bank regularly publishing activity reports and financial statements, providing banking services and loans to its customers.
Paying for schooling in Burundi: answers
Is public school free in Burundi?
Tuition fees were abolished at public primary level in 2005, now part of basic education. Families still pay for uniforms, supplies and various contributions, and private schools and boarding schools continue to charge fees.
Do Burundian banks offer a back-to-school loan?
Several banks offer salary advances or short loans at the start of the school year, reserved for customers whose salary is domiciled with them. Conditions change every year, so ask for the exact repayment schedule.
Can a COOPEC fund a farmer's back-to-school costs?
Yes, if the farmer is a member and has built up savings. The loan is often backed by that deposit, and some COOPECs offer a school savings account topped up during the year to reduce the need to borrow.
Can Burundian school fees be paid in instalments?
Many private schools accept payment per term, sometimes spread further after discussion with the head. This avoids a loan, provided the deadlines set by the school are met.