Online School & Homeschool in the DR Congo

Live online Cambridge IGCSE, A-Level, Pearson Edexcel, IB Diploma, and American AP for mining, corporate, NGO, and Congolese families across Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Kolwezi. The loi-cadre of 2014 guarantees unusually explicit parental liberties, and private establishments require agrément — so we work alongside your school, and we say plainly that we are not an agréé Congolese establishment. The mining southeast sits just one hour behind our teaching base.

From USD 423/month. Small live classes 4-6 students, Cambridge / IB / American AP through to A-Level — with French kept alongside the English-medium core.

Where our DRC families are

Smartious DRC families concentrate across Kinshasa (one of Africa's largest cities, the political and banking capital, one of the continent's biggest NGO and diplomatic communities, and an established international tier at premium fees), Lubumbashi (the mining capital and second city, with far thinner provision and — usefully — a clock one hour rather than two behind ours), and Kolwezi and the Lualaba cobalt belt (the most strategically watched mining region on earth, staffed from four continents, with essentially no international schooling). One agrément regime, one supplementary configuration, and a country that spans two time zones.

Homeschool laws and regulation in DR Congo

The DRC has the most explicit parental-liberty language of any framework in our African coverage — and it is also the one most easily over-read. Here is what the law says, and what we will not claim it says.

The governing statute

The Loi-cadre n° 14/004 of 11 February 2014 on national education fixes the fundamental principles of the Congolese system, in conformity with articles 42, 43, 44, 45, 123 point 5, 202 points 22 and 23, and 203 point 20 of the Constitution. It is the reference text for everything from the structure of the system to the approval of private establishments, and a proposal to modify and complete it was tabled in April 2026 — a pending proposal, not law, and we report it as such.

The liberties it guarantees, quoted accurately

The loi-cadre guarantees, among its principles: the freedom to create, organise and attend an establishment of national education; the freedom of parents to place their child in a public or private school establishment; the freedom of parents to choose for their minor child the type of education corresponding to their convictions; and the freedom to disseminate, conscientiously and responsibly, established cultural, scientific or technical knowledge. That is more explicit parental-choice language than almost any framework we cover in Africa, and Congolese families are entitled to know it is there.

And what those liberties do not establish

Here is where we stop, because this is exactly the provision a careless provider would exploit. The freedom of parents to choose the type of education corresponding to their convictions is the familiar international-covenant formulation — it concerns choosing an education consistent with one's convictions, and it is not a right to educate at home. The freedom to create, organise and attend is framed around établissements: institutions, which the same law then subjects to an approval regime. We are not aware of the loi-cadre establishing a parental home-education route, and a family whose plan turns on the point should confirm with the ministry responsible for national education rather than rely on a reading of the liberties clause.

The agrément regime, and what we therefore are not

Private establishments at pre-primary, primary, secondary and professional levels require agrément, granted following a prior authorisation to open, against juridical, civic, financial, moral, pedagogical, material and environmental guarantees set out in the law; creation is a concurrent competence of the central Minister responsible for national education and the provincial Governor. Smartious is not an agréé Congolese establishment. We do not operate premises in the DRC, we do not claim agrément, and we do not present ourselves as an alternative to an approved school — we are an internationally accredited online school delivering live classes from Nairobi alongside a family's Congolese school. We state that as plainly here as we do in Ghana, Botswana, and Australia.

Free and compulsory basic education

The Constitution provides for the right to education and for free primary education, and the loi-cadre specifies the State's responsibility for basic education. In practice gratuité was implemented gradually from the 2010-11 school year and generalised from 2019, extending in policy terms to the early years of general secondary and to manuals and supplies, and basic education is treated as a decentralised matter. Families should treat the operational detail as something to confirm locally, since implementation has evolved considerably over the past fifteen years.

Two practical points: languages and the clock

French is the language of instruction, with Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo and Tshiluba as national languages — and Swahili predominates across the mining southeast, which our Nairobi teachers share. So we keep Cambridge French running alongside the English-medium core, protecting the Belgian and French routes Congolese families rely on, while the English-medium track opens the UK, South African, and North American ones. And the clock is genuinely unusual: the DRC spans two time zones, with Kinshasa on WAT two hours behind our teaching base and Lubumbashi and Kolwezi on CAT just one hour behind. Neither observes daylight saving, so both offsets are fixed — and the mining southeast is better aligned with our teaching day than the capital is, which is the opposite of what most families assume.

Why DR Congo families choose Smartious

The liberties stated accurately, not exploited

The loi-cadre's parental-choice language is real and worth knowing. It is not a home-education right, and we will not sell it as one.

The cobalt belt reached at last

Kolwezi and Lualaba supply a critical share of the world's battery minerals and have essentially no international schooling. Live teaching reaches the mine site.

One hour from Katanga, two from Kinshasa

The DRC spans two time zones and the mining southeast is closer to our clock than the capital — both fixed, neither drifting.

French kept alongside, deliberately

Cambridge French runs beside the English-medium core, protecting the Belgian and French university routes Congolese families depend on.

Honest about what we are

Not an agréé Congolese establishment, and we say it plainly — an internationally accredited online school working alongside yours.

Portable across a rotational career

Kolwezi, the Zambian Copperbelt, or the next operation anywhere — the curriculum, teachers, and examination board stay constant.

Fees and admission

From USD 423/month for Primary, payable termly; varies by curriculum and level. One-to-one tuition: USD 15/hour.

Frequently asked questions

Is homeschooling legal in the DRC?

The loi-cadre of 2014 guarantees notable parental liberties — including the freedom of parents to choose for their minor child the type of education corresponding to their convictions — but that is the familiar formulation about choosing an education consistent with convictions rather than a home-education right, and the freedom to create or attend is framed around establishments that require agrément. We are not aware of an established parental home-education route and would tell any family whose plan depends on it to confirm with the ministry responsible for national education.

Is Smartious an agréé establishment in the DRC?

No, and we say so plainly. Private establishments require agrément following prior authorisation to open, against guarantees set out in the loi-cadre. We are an internationally accredited online school delivering from Nairobi and working alongside your Congolese school.

Why do class times differ between Kinshasa and Lubumbashi?

Because the DRC spans two time zones. Kinshasa and the west run WAT, two hours behind our Nairobi teaching base; Lubumbashi, Kolwezi, and the east run CAT, just one hour behind. Neither observes daylight saving, so both offsets are fixed year-round — and the mining southeast is the better aligned of the two.

Can our child keep French while studying in English?

Yes, and most of our Congolese families do. Cambridge French runs alongside the English-medium core, protecting the Belgian and French university routes many families here are planning toward while adding UK, South African, and North American ones.

We are posted in Kolwezi — what are the realistic options?

Historically boarding in Lubumbashi, South Africa, or abroad, or keeping the household in another country, because the region has essentially no international schooling. Live teaching reaches the cobalt belt and continues unchanged to the next operation.

Is the law about to change?

A proposal to modify and complete the loi-cadre was tabled in April 2026, framed around adapting the system to technological change and citing the constitutional provisions on the right to education and free primary schooling. It is a pending proposal rather than law, and we report it as such rather than planning around it.

Where do Congolese students sit Cambridge examinations?

At authorised provision confirmed per family per session — Kinshasa first, with Lubumbashi provision and Zambian options reviewed for Katanga and Lualaba families, since the Copperbelt border is closer to Kolwezi than the capital is.

Which parts of the DRC does Smartious cover?

Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Kolwezi and the Lualaba cobalt belt have dedicated pages. Live online delivery works identically anywhere in the country — which in Lualaba is precisely the point.

Guides for families in this country

What parents say

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