Schools in the Guinean capital were deserted on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 , not because of an official directive, but following the massive spread of a rumor announcing the suspension of classes throughout the country.

Widely circulated on social media and throughout the city for nearly 48 hours, this unverified information has plunged the educational community into confusion. The Ministry of Pre-University Education and Literacy (MEPU-A) was only able to issue an official denial late this morning, denouncing the "erroneous information" and urging school officials to maintain classes.

🚫 A day without classes despite the denial

This ministerial statement failed to reverse the trend. In the schools visited, no classes were held. Teachers were absent, and the few students who had turned up were sent home without further explanation.

Several sources within the education system confirm that no formal circular or written instruction ordered the suspension of classes. However, information about a closure did circulate, but entirely informally and by word of mouth among the teaching staff in Conakry.

" Everything was said behind the scenes, informally. Those who gave you the information insisted that their names never be mentioned. They warn you: never say that it was me who told you. Which is still strange," reports a visibly indignant teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The speed and localized nature of this spread, without any visible official source, suggest a possible orchestrated disinformation operation aimed at disrupting education in the capital.

💻 Confusion surrounding a presidential event

The source of the rumor may be linked to the launch of the public school connectivity project scheduled for this Wednesday at the People's Palace. Led by the government and presented as a "presidential initiative," this operation aims to provide more than 2,000 primary schools with reliable internet access.

According to several accounts, the rumor transformed an alleged general "summons" of educational staff for this event into an order to close classes , although no official instruction has been issued to support this version.

🏫 The interior of the country spared

Unlike Conakry, the other regions of the country (from Kindia to Kankan, including Mamou, Labé, and N'Zérékoré) experienced a normal school day . Students were in class and teachers were at their posts. This stark contrast reinforces the theory that the disinformation campaign was specifically targeted at the capital, where it found fertile ground.