By Yang Ater Yang
The National minister of General Education and Instructions Awut Deng Achuil and Governor of Lakes State Rin Tueny Mabor launched the foundation Stone for the construction of wall fence and renovations of Rumbek National Secondary School in Rumbek on Friday 3rd March 2023.
The occasion was attended by school administration, students, government officials and parents of Lakes State.
The Governor of Lakes State, Rin Tueny Mabor said that they were in Rumbek National Secondary School on a field visit with the national minister of General Education and Instructions, Awut Deng Achuil.
“I would like to welcome Honorable Awut Deng Achuil to Rumbek National Secondary School on this crucial field visit to launch the renovations and construction of wall fence of Rumbek national secondary School” he said.
“There is too much talking with the less works, but the reason why we are here is to come and work and you can see, we are moving from offices to the classrooms, it is a real inspection, myself as a governor, and the national minister of general education and instructions is real, we are double checking and our national minister will have no speech because she is very tough and she is serious after her job” he said.
The national minister of general education and instructions, Awut Deng Achuil said that, “this ground I am standing is the historical school if we hear so many leaders across the nation they all came to Rumbek secondary School”.
“And it is the school that has a good name recorded by the history. It is my obligation to come. I am not coming to make speech, but I am just coming to see the situation and the status of this school” she said.
“I am here to see how we can do the best things of this school. I have come with engineers to see how we can start building the wall fence. We are supposed to have a laboratory here in the school and it is going to come. We are also implementing Republican order that all public schools in the Republic of South Sudan are free” she said.
Awut said the President has imposed the Constitution and all the schools will receive capitation grants whether it is primary, pre-primary or secondary schools are going to receive the capitation grants.
“Our partners, UK is taking care of senior one up to senior four (S.1 to S.4), but as a government we are taking care of all the primary schools, so what I expect, we have peace and the only thing we can do now as we achieve peace is to send everybody to school and to do that we need highly qualified teachers” she said.
The minister of general education and instructions in Lakes State, Nelson Makoi Makur said that it is important day for the ministry.
“We have received our guest Honorable Awut Deng Achuil . She came here to launch the foundation stone to construct the wall fence of Rumbek national secondary School” he said.
He said the visit was very important for Rumbek secondary and the people of Lakes State and it is important to the government of Lakes State.
The Deputy Head teacher for academics and students affairs in Rumbek national secondary school, Abraham Mawach Majak explained numerous challenges facing Rumbek national secondary school which include poor payment of school teachers, lack of latrine for teachers and students, dormitories within the school for boarding students are distorted.
He said Rumbek national secondary school needs two cars, one for head teacher and the other for transportation of collected firewood for feeding students.
“Wall fence, improvement of pay to teachers because many teachers left due to poor payment, operation cost to run the administration of the school smoothly” he said. “In Rumbek secondary School here, the statistics for teaching staff; we have 48 old, plus 3 administrators which make a total of 51, and none teaching staff are 96” he said
He said the number of senior four (S.4) candidates to sit national exams is 146 females and 411 males, making a total of 557 candidates.
“I appeal to the national minister of General Education and Instructions to see the situation of Rumbek Secondary School teachers. Some of the situation you have seen physically because you have gone class by class and office by office and the whole environment. You have your teachers, workers and your environment, come and rescue” he said.