A ceasefire agreement signed between the government of South Sudan and rebel fighters has put the armed conflict on hold, at least for now. The conflict has displaced an estimated 500,000 people from their homes, and left the nation’s infrastructure in disarray. While there have been some creative solutions to the loss of an educational infrastructure—like allowing students to take exams in UN compounds—the country is still unable to adequately educate too many of its citizens. The break in hostilities may allow the government to start rebuilding lost facilities, and restoring families to their homes and schools.
Before becoming independent in 2011, South Sudan engaged in a huge reconstruction program. Between 2006 and 2009, the number of primary school children in South Sudan increased from 700,000 to 1.6 million, according to a UNESCO study. UNESCO did report some promising results, like a slowly narrowing gender gap, but they still cite unsettling numbers. 40 per cent of girls are not receiving any kind of education, and high migration rates within the country make it difficult to track how many students are returning to school, or being promoted between grades.
Allowing students to take primary school exams in refugee compounds is a necessity in a country where less than 10 per cent of the population has finished primary school. Additionally, South Sudan’s literacy rate stands at just 27 per cent for all citizens over 15 years old. “There’re not enough schools. There’re certainly not enough teachers. Most of the teachers in South Sudan are primary school leavers,” said Jessica Hjarrand, education specialist at UNESCO. Headmaster of Lomuku Primary School in Yei, Michael Adier Kuol, added, “In the school where I’m teaching now, there are around 16 teachers, and all of them are untrained.”
While the recent ceasefire is not guaranteed to be lasting (or even effective, as light skirmishing has continued despite the treaty), it may yet provide an opportunity for South Sudan to address some of its underlying problems. One of their greatest challenges is updating and reforming an inadequate and underfunded school system.
Creative Commons Love: Global Partnership for Education on Flickr.com
Written by Alex Leedom