By Ngor Deng Matem
Northern Bahr El Ghazal State (NBGs) has received about SSP 221 million as 2023 school capitation grants.
Director General of state ministry of general Education and Instructions, Santino Bol Akot disclosed while presenting NBGs education report, recently.
He said at least 674 schools across the state, received the capitation grants.
“We, from the ministry of education in the state, do not receive this money. This money goes to the school accounts,” the director general said.
According to Akot, the school management committee (SMC) receives the capitation grant cash from the accounts.
“We appreciated our government and NGOs for considering the schools with the Capitation Grant, which greatly helps our schools,” the education officer said.
In February this year, President Salva Kiir Mayardit in a presidential order directed the ministry of general education to implement free primary and secondary education policies in the country.
The ministry of finance and planning together with development partners were further urged to avail the necessary funding to ensure that the policy is executed.
The president also pledged government’s priority consideration of education and the need for public institutions to adhere to free education policy.
In abide to enforce free primary and secondary education across the Country as directed by the president, the Ministry of General Education and Instructions then directed public schools not to ask fees from parents.
The ministry also promptly acted on the president’s order after the Ministry of Finance allocated SSP 1 billion as the first portion of the capitation grant for schools’ operations.
Minister of General Education, Awut Deng Acuil announced the schools’ facilitation grant by the ministry of finance as per President’s directives.
According to a report by the UN children education fund, UNICEF, South Sudan has one of the lowest budget allocations to the education sector in the East African region.
Though, in 2022/2023 SSP 1.3 trillion budget, education received an allocation of SSP 107 billion which was a significant boost when compared to past budgets, this, still cannot meet all the requirements.