Introduction

This introduction explores how culture, ethnicity, and war have shaped the Burundian educational and social landscape. Focusing on the critical role that education must play in the societal healing and reconstruction process. The few scholars who have studied Burundian society and ethnic relations argue that Burundis educational system is a glaring legacy of Belgian colonial policies and practices, which have historically served as the breeding ground for ethnic inequality and discord. Until very recently, inequitable educational opportunity promoted Tutsi hegemony in the civil service, the army, and the judiciary. Decades of ethnic turmoil, violence, and twelve years of civil war have caused incalculable damage complicated by greed-driven, intra-ethnic divisions and the legacy of colonization. Repairing the multifaceted damage and rebuilding the country are an individual and collective social debt that the Burundian people and those who care for their welfare must bear.