By Charles K Mark
Unity State leads in performance in 2023 Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) examination results released on Wednesday.
South Sudan National Examination Council (NEC) announced results of 59,555 candidates who sat for the 2023 examination.
However, out of 68,281 candidates—37,841 males and 30,440 females, who registered for the examination, about 1,274, were reported absent.
NEC Chairperson, who is also the Minister of General Education and Instruction, Awut Deng Acuil, said the examinations were administered in 1,665 schools.
A total of 53,937 people, of whom 28,134 were female and 35,813 were male, passed the examination.
The performance intake was placed at 72.1, while 4,344 candidates, comprising 2,316 females and 2,028 males, failed the exam, which represents 6.4% of the total number of candidates that attempted the examination.
“I will now take you through the performance by states. Number one is Unity State with an 82.2% performing index. Two is Jonglei State with 77.2%. Three is Warrap State with 77.0%,” Awut read out the results.
At number four was Greater Pibor Administrative Area with 75.2%, followed by Northern Bahr el Ghazal State with 75.0%, and Central Equatoria State took 6th place with 73.3%.
Number seven was Lake State with 72.5%, followed by Western Bahr el Ghazal State in number 8 with 72.2%, and Western Equatoria State at number 9 with 68.9%.
Eastern Equatoria State with 68.6% was rated number ten, followed by Upper Nile State with 63.9% and Ruweng Administrative Area with 61.7%.
Abyei Administrative Area made it to the thirteenth position with 61.6%, followed by the Centre hosted by the South Sudan Embassy in Egypt, Cairo, with 53.4% at position fourteen.
“Generally, the candidature trends analysis shows that there has been a steady increase in the number of female candidates entering as well as taking the examination,” Minister Awut observed.
In the top 10 best performers’ positions are 129 students headed by Joshua Swaka Salfador, who scooped 480 marks at JCC Model Primary School in Central Equatoria State.
Coming in second in the top 10 performers’ hierarchy are Mading Abit Deng Abit and Chol Kiir Chol Kiir, both from Salaam Nursery and Primary School, with a total of 479 marks.
While first in the top 10 in position three is Eluzai Soma Yakobo Dedenya from JCC Model Primary School CES with Mark 478, followed by three others.
Leading the first position in the 4th top ten with 477 is Abui Gabriel Thon Choi from St. Peter Primary School, Rajaf, followed by ten others in the same position.
Position five of the top ten best performers is led by Deng George Aluom Maker, from Salaam Nursery and Primary School (CES), with 476 marks. And the long list of top-ten performers is continuous.