By Bida Elly David
After over a decade of independence, South Sudan is grappling with lack of qualified teachers to operate government schools.
Deputy Minister of General Education and Instructions, Tako Moi said the country does not have adequate number of teachers in classrooms.
He said there also no capable teachers to set and mark examinations in the country.
Mr. Tako, who is also the acting national minister of general education, said South Sudan is undergoing a difficult situation in the education sector.
The acting minister was speaking on Thursday during the release of the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) examination results by the national examination council for 2022–23, academic year.
He disclosed during the council meeting that unqualified volunteer were teaching primary eight classes in some school, in the country.
Mr. Tako, however, declined to mention the name of the school where he encountered such a scenario.
“In a school, I met a volunteer who did not finish eight and was teaching primary eight. Imagine that situation,” he cited.
Minister Tako further stated that South Sudan only has a few qualified teachers, and majority have deserted public schools for greener pastures.
“We have very few teachers left; most of them have gone to private schools for lucrative salaries. It is very difficult for us to control,” he said.
The acting minister noted that unless government improves conditions, the national ministry of general education and instruction will continue losing teachers to organisations and private schools.
He also underlined that the on-going shortage of qualified teachers across the Country came as a result of poor remuneration for teachers.
Tako further pointed out that even the faculties of education in public Universities and higher institutes of learning have fewer students admitted due to the ongoing circumstances.
“We renovated three institutes of education that are functioning, and nobody wants to apply. We have advertised for more than two years, only 18 students responded,” the acting minister said.
He called on citizens and the government to be ambassadors to the ministries of general and higher education.
Tako said the ministry recently encountered challenges of teachers to mark the senior four examinations and later hired University students due to the shortage.
The minister said it has never been easy to set examinations for Secondary schools where there is a challenge of finding qualified teachers, noting that the ministry went through hard times.