By Ngor Deng Matem
Northern Bahr El Ghazal State (NBGs) Ministry of General Education and Instruction has reported a high number of school enrollment compared to last year.
State education minister, Santino Bol Akok attributed the increase to influx of returnees who escaped the ongoing war in Sudan.
“The number of learners has increased very much this year because the returnees’ children have added to the existing numbers,” he said. “As a result, this affected the learning as there were fewer learning facilities.”
According to Bol, the increase has posed challenge on limited teachers who are incapacitated to manage the high number of pupils, and coupled with limited classroom space.
He said it has become impossible to accommodate all the children in the learning facilities.
“This year we have significant improvements in education, and there is evidence that our children outstandingly performed better this year on the South Sudan Certificate of Secondary School Education (SSCSE) examination,” he added.
The minister was speaking during a consultation meeting on education conducted in the office of governor, Tong Akeen Ngor.
Victor Mel Garang, a secondary school teacher under the state ministry of education, explained some of the reasons behind the high school enrollment.
“There are many factors that contributed to the increase in school enrolment, and these are: complete free studies in primary and secondary schools as announced by the President of the Republic of South Sudan,” he cited.
According to Garang, the free basic school policy has greatly increased school enrollment.
“Children have been registered for free, and we, the teachers, have not been bothering to demand the children have school uniforms as mandatory. We allow every child to study freely and without disturbance,” he lamented.
For his part, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Tong Akeen Ngor appreciated the education officials, teachers, and parents for considering education a top priority.
“I invited you here to make consultations on educational matters so that we can identify the challenges and the way forward,” the Governor said. “Education is our key priority.”
Governor Akeen directed the county commissioners and mayors to work closely with Education directors so that the challenges at the grassroots are identified and addressed amicably.
Both the minister of education, Bol Akok, and the governor, Tong Akeen, did not disclose what would be done to address the challenges identified.
Additionally, the state education ministry didn’t disclose the number of children registered in this academic year, which is said to be huge compared to last year.