By Taban Henry
The Minister of General Education and Instruction Awut Deng Acuil has revealed that the government have made six month conditional transfers to the ten States and the three Administrative Areas to pay the salaries for the civil servants and the operational costs of the schools
This came after President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Saturday met with the state governors and the Chief Administrators to brief him on the status of education across the Country and to debate on how to provide quality education to the children across the nation.
The meeting was attended by the vice President for Service Delivery Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol. The Line Ministers of Education sector, together with their undersecretaries.
In a statement seen by No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on Sunday, the Minister of General Education and Instruction Awut Deng Achuil said they have made six month conditional transfers to the ten states and the three administrative areas to pay civil servants salaries and meet operational costs of the schools.
She however assured that the education will be promoted at all levels across the Country.
“A collective responsibility for everyone to ensure the education system is improved. We already know the quality of education we want for our children but we cannot achieve it without qualified teachers” Awut told the media after their meeting.
“We have created a system that ensures we recruit and train existing teachers who will provide our children with quality education services,” she added.
Awut stated that the government is working to increase the teachers’ salaries by 140% in a hopes to retain the teachers and motivate them to provide quality services to the children.
She said they have paid teachers’ salaries and allowances and they are now in the process of paying the current operational cost.
“The national government carried out studies on the current situation in Jonglei State regarding the current protest over teachers’ salaries and allowances. They discovered the protesters are not even teachers,” Achuil added.
The State governors commended the president and the minister of General Education and Instruction for their tremendous efforts made in thee education sector, they noted that there has been great improvement in the education sector over the pass years.
Meanwhile President Salva Kiir Mayardit in his remark urged all actors to join hands together to transform the education sector in South Sudan for the children and the future generations to have access to quality education.
For his part the Vice President for Service Delivery Cluster Hussien Abdelbagi Akol urged the State governments to cooperate with the national government to systematically address the challenges that are affecting the education sector.
“It is us to come together to address those issues to transform the education system,” he said.