Category: Literacy

The Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative or WPDI, a non-governmental organization working mostly with youth last Friday awarded certificates of excellence to about 186 young men and women in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State.

The youth completed three-month courses in ICT, peacebuilding, and entrepreneurship at WPDI in Torit.

A peacebuilding graduate Joseph Ibou Charles said, “Before we did not know what conflict is, and they have taught us much about conflict for example power greed, how to manage conflict, we learn more about it and how we can manage in our villages even at home.”

Susan Natra Leon, another peacebuilding graduate said, “Today is a very nice day and I would like to welcome my sisters outside to join the profession because I am very happy I got a certificate. I can easily bring two conflicting groups to the table and resolve their issue. I am even able to train my colleagues in the area even though they don’t have access to reach out the center.”

James Richard, an elderly graduate of ICT encouraged everyone with the passion to take the opportunity and enroll at the WPDI to gain skills, saying education has no limits.

For his part, Paul Jalingo the acting chairperson for peacebuilding in Eastern Equatoria State calls on the youth to be peace ambassadors in their communities.

“You are now ambassadors of peace, you people should know that the task which you are going to face is a challenge that is why it is called peacebuilding. It is a process and it is not easy, it is full of steps,” he advised.

Lopeyok Summy Aperangole, Eastern Equatoria education minister who attended the graduation, called on the youth to mobilize more for such pieces of training.

He urged all education partners and headteachers to include peace education in the curriculum to build a peace culture amongst the youth.

Eastern Equatoria state minister of culture youth and sport Stella Iromo Vitale said: “Youth is the powerhouse of our country because they have the capability of changing the country by bringing peace. We, the ministry of culture youth and sports appreciate you our partners for doing such work to help our youth in various counties Budi, Lafon, Torit, Magwi, Ikotos, and Kapoeta.”

Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative has built a community learning center that empowers youths in different skills.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The Warrap State education ministry, with support from World Vision, has trained 11 teachers to deliver education services to cattle camps of Tonj South, Tonj North, and Gogrial West counties of Warrap state.

The five-day training which started on Monday ended on Friday week and is aimed at extending education services to cattle camp youth.

Wilson Samson Wani, the lead facilitator from the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said the capacity training is part of their project to provide education for all.

“The purpose and objective of the capacity building training are to equip teachers with skills and knowledge and to deliver quality services to people in education on the move which has different approaches compared to formal education,” Wani said.

He added: “It has different policies and components and we taught those skills of scheming the work before classes and how to manage the setting of classes without classrooms.”

For his part, Kuanyin Wek Kuanyin, the Warrap State partners’ coordinator in the education ministry, urged the participants to provide education services to the pastoralists.

“We intend to train the youth and children in the cattle camps on how to shift their focus from cattle-related issues to alternative aspects of life through education and agriculture,” Wek said. “As FAO is also taking part in farming, the combination of the two will make the ministry of education achieve its goals and objective.”

He added: “I urge the teachers who have been trained here to directly deliver quality teaching to roughly 1, 075 learners in the cattle camps. 469 are female while 606 are male learners in the three counties of Tonj South, Tonj North, and Gogrial West and if these number of pupils got trained, the rate of illiteracy will reduce in Warrap State.”

The teachers said they gained skills and knowledge during the training which will help them train learners using mobile education.

Simon Arop, a Tonj North County pastoralist teacher who benefited from training said he learned to design work schemes and lesson plans.

“I learned the scheme of work and lesson plan, how to prepare properly and teach pupils in the cattle camps,” Arop said. “I also learned how to make peace among the communities. when I hear that youth are organizing fighting, I report it to stakeholders so that they can intervene and prevent it.”

A pastoralist teacher from Gogrial West County, Deng Abraham, said the positive impact of training is that it will change communities that are deprived of education.

“The scheme of work is the breaking down of lessons for pupils to understand and it is helpful because it makes teachers prepare before classes and while in the class, a teacher is not shaken when learners ask questions,” Deng said. “Another important thing is that the program itself is so beneficial to those in cattle camps who have been neglected and have no access to education. They will benefit now.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

Up to 69 schools in Yei River County of central Equatoria state on Monday received Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) program cash transfers intended to support girls’ education in the country.

The money will be given to girls from primary 1 to 7 and from senior 1 to 4.

Each primary school girl will receive 5,600 South Sudanese pounds (SSP), while the girls in candidate classes, primary 8 and senior 4, will get 8,400 SSP each.

Emmanuel Sebit, the Yei River County education director, described the cash transfer as a big achievement that will encourage more girls to complete their education.

“In Yei, we now have a total number of 69 schools that will be getting this cash transfer and a total of 5000 girls will be benefiting,” Sebit said. “I think this is a very big achievement although this money is not enough, it will help these small girls to buy things that can facilitate their education.”

Meanwhile, county commissioner Aggrey Cyrus Kanyikwa warned parents and the girls against misusing the money on things that are not related to education.

“Go and tell your parents that the commissioner said that if the money given by GESS is used for smoking, for drinking, then they are my worst enemies,” Commissioner Kanyikwa warned. “If the money given by GESS is used for drinking waragi in the bars, he is the worst enemy to Yei and worst enemy to the people of South Sudan.”

Speaking to Radio Tamajuj, some of the beneficiaries expressed happiness and appreciated the support towards girls’ education in the country with some appealing that the support continues.

Jane Khamis, a secondary school student said, “I thank the government of South Sudan for organizing such programs to keep girls in school and my appeal is for them to continue with this program to encourage my sisters who are still behind.”

Another beneficiary, Beatrice Martin, 16, said was happy to receive the money because it will help her buy necessities when their parents have no money.

“I am proud of this money because it will help me in different ways. I will use it to buy sanitary towels, soap, and scholastic materials when my parents do not have money.”

Kiden Rose, a primary school pupil said, “I advise the girls to buy what they do have, things like scholastic materials.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

The Omdurman Islamic University, El Zaeem El Azhari University, El Nilein University, as well as the Sudan University of Science and Technology, have joined the University of Khartoum, the University of El Gezira, and the Red Sea University in suspending studies indefinitely “for the protection of students and staff” in response to the current instability in the country following the military coup of October 25.

Omdurman Islamic University and El Zaeem El Azhari Universities announced the suspension of studies and exams for an indefinite period today, bringing the number of closed universities in the country to seven.

On Tuesday, the administration of El Nilein University suspended the studies indefinitely, while on Monday, the Council of Deans of Sudan University of Science and Technology announced the suspension of studies and the postponement of exams until further notice.

In a statement following an emergency meeting on Tuesday, the administration of El Nilein University condemned the military coup, called for the release of all detainees and a return to civilian rule and the democratic path.

As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, three major universities announced the suspension of studies earlier this week, namely the University of Khartoum, the University of El Gezira, and the Red Sea University.

Lecturers and students of the University of Khartoum organised a vigil at the university buildings on Tuesday, rejecting the coup and in support of the civil democratic transformation.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The Council of Deans of the University of Khartoum have announced the suspension of studies indefinitely, “in rejection of the military coup and condemned attacks on students by forces of the junta”.

The statement, issued on Saturday following an emergency meeting of the Council of Deans of the University of Khartoum, which is considered the most prestigious of Sudanese universities, “suspends studies in all faculties of the university for an indefinite period”.

The deans denounce the Sudanese security forces attacks on university students and the university’s board of trustees stressed in their statement its rejection of the coup. Members of the Council of Deans unanimously directed the legal department “to initiate criminal proceedings against those involved in acts of assault against students and the university, and to investigate this matter, with full documentation of these blatant abuses against students and the university.”

The deans decided to extend the suspension of studies, that has been in effect since morning of the coup on October 25, in all university faculties for an indefinite period. The meeting praised the role of the university guard in protecting the university’s institutions during the last period.

The meeting also valued the roles of the university administration, deans of faculties and professors and their efforts in evacuating male and female students from boarding schools during the unfortunate events.

Source: Radio Dabanga

The graduation of unified forces might be delayed again from its initial schedule as a body tasked with screening of forces at the training sites face logistical challenges.

“The screening committee is ready to begin its work, but it is still waiting for money from the National Transitional Committee (NTC). So, there might be a slight delay in the graduation of the forces because screening has to happen first,” Major General Lul Ruai Koang, a spokesman for the military, told Radio Tamazuj on Friday.

President Salva Kiir in July promised the graduation of the first batch of 53,000 unified forces, but this has not materialized due to lack of consensus on the unified military command structure among the parties in the unity government.

In mid-October, the Joint Defense Board, the body charged with overseeing the training and graduation of the necessary unified forces, said the graduation of the necessary unified forces will take place in the first week of November.

The body said it had resolved to start the screening of forces at the various training camps in Equatoria, Bahr el Ghazal, and Upper Nile regions before the graduation of forces.

However, Lul said the National Transitional Committee (NTC) led by President Salva Kiir’s security advisor Tut Gatluak has not yet prepositioned the necessary logistics required to facilitate the screening process.

“The committee tasked with screening of the forces is ready. So, once we receive the money, the committee will travel to the three regions to start its work. There are 18 training camps across the country, and three screening teams have already been set up,” said Lul.

According to the military spokesman, soldiers who deserted training sites over the past months have been asked to report back for screening to pave the way for the graduation of the first batch of the unified forces.

“I would like to inform the public that the delay in the graduation of the unified forces will not be too much, it will just be a slight delay. The graduation might take place within November,” said Lul.

Peace monitors have in the past expressed concern over dire conditions in training sites that have forced a sizable number of soldiers to desert due to lack of food, medicines and shelters.

Under the 2018 peace deal, South Sudan is supposed to graduate 83,000 unified forces drawn from the various parties to take charge of security during the ongoing transitional period.

Source: Radio Tamazuj