By Taban Henry
The inhabitants of Kabu Boma of Luri Payam in Juba County in Central Equatoria State said learning activities at Kabu Primary School in the outskirts of Juba city has been temporarily brought to a standstill as herds of cattle have occupied the school premises forcing learners to stay home.
Speaking to No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper on Tuesday, Salwa Wani Dafala confirmed that the cattle have been lodging at the premises of Kabu Primary School hence forcing the children to stay out of classes.
“The challenges facing us here is the problem of cattle, cattle are brought from nowhere consuming all the crops making all people from the area to flee to the bushes in order to guard their crops because if you do not, all your crops will be consumed by the cattle, yet after getting the produce we sell them to pay children in schools,” she said.
According to Salwa their school was closed saying the reason for closing the school is not known adding that they realized in April when cattle were brought to the school.
She stated that people who have money took their children out to study in Juba meanwhile others made their children to join the orphanage majorly those starting from nursery to primary three adding that the rest of the children are now struggling to move to Kopuri while the others are not studying because there is no school.
“This time the whole school is closed and if you are to visit you will find the whole school surrounded by cow dung the soldiers were also brought in order to stay in the same school. The school has taken almost five months without operating. Since December last year after the children went for holidays once they were about to resume back the soldiers, they were brought to occupy the school,” she added.
Salwa hinted out that the cattle are sometimes said to be for the community and other top government officials of which we don’t know them and nowadays the cattle have been taken after we have raised the complaint for several times.
She said that she was having two children who were studying in the same school and now they are not studying saying they are waiting if the school will open next year that is when they will resume studies.
“We also have no hospital, now if someone collapses and you don’t have either a car or a motor cycle to take you to Juba your condition will be the worst unless you hire a motor bike for 500 SSP to take you up to Lemun Gaba so that you can board a public transport, don’t you think this person will die on the way,” she explained.