Will senior four exams start today?
By Kiden Stela Mandela
Every year, senior four candidates sit for their final exams and either continue with the university or drop out, simply because they are being discouraged by their results at the end of the day; but this is not because they are lazy or dull. The biggest challenge sometimes is that the syllabus is not finished to the end by the teachers; this makes it a very hard situation in the country since education completely has no value, but only the lucky ones whose parents can afford to pay them in a better school outside the country.
Secondly, the ministry of Education has not taken issues of teachers and lecturers as a very important issue in the country, in a way that they even don’t care to address their matters. They don’t know whether students are taught and completed the syllabus or not; but it is hard to tell. It is only sad that they are minding about themselves only.
The hardest thing is that, teachers are not paid in time and are expected to teach students even on a hunger basis, which is traumatizing. If a teacher himself has already lost his appetite to teach, and left to only push the students just like that without sympathy. Imagine staying for almost six months, which is half a year without salaries and you are expected to teach! Education here is a waste of time, because it is ‘To Whom It May Concern’. In all these years, only private sectors perform better, other than the government.
Earlier this year in around February, Central Equatoria State teachers protested over unpaid dues including incentives in the time when the primary eight candidates were almost sitting for their final exams. It was serious issue but they were convinced by the government to give up the strike and that their dues will be cleared. That was not the only protest as we had the lecturers threaten, stopping at universality of Juba also protesting in the same month. This was affecting the first year students who were about to sit for their first exams. The lecturers were demanding the government to pay their salaries and increase their pay but they were silenced and were promised to be paid yet up to now there is no feedback on the case.
While in other countries, where our politicians prefer to take their children, the teachers’ considerations are taken first before anything else because teachers are the future of any country.
Contrary to South Sudan, politicians are the ones using civil servant salaries to fulfill their interests only without thinking about others. For example, one lecture collapsed of hunger in front of his students in one of the government universities here. One day if these teachers will not turn to doing their work nobody should blame them.
The issue is that the candidates in areas of crisis in some states of the country may not sit due to insecurity in the states. For example in Unity State, during the primary eight exams, these candidates were first exempted but later were allowed to sit for the exams. Also, the ministry of education went ahead to reduce the number of examination centers in the states which discourages education morale of young ones in the country.
Politicians should watch out on the issue of poor education service in this country otherwise it is going to be difficult for the upcoming generations.
God Bless South Sudan
Be Right there!