By Bosco Bush
National Examination Council (NEC) is seeking 740 million South Sudanese Pounds from the Ministry of Finance to finalize 2023 academic year Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) results.
NEC Secretary General, Ustaz Simon Nyok expressed concern about the delay, on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, during media briefing.
“The fact of the matter is that the exams once conducted are supposed to be processed immediately at least in a period of 2-3 weeks. But due to lack of resources, we have not been able to move as planned. These exam results were supposed to be released by March latest but unfortunately, here we are,” Nyok lamented.
“So, we need roughly 740 million Pounds, that’s the balance that was left. We are optimistic that once they avail these funds, we can be able to call for the council and release the results,” he said.
During the regular Council of Ministers meeting last week, Minister of Education, Awut Deng, raised the lack of funds for processing the results of the Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations for the academic year 2023.
In response to the concerns, the newly appointed Minister of Finance pledged to find a way to settle the outstanding issues affecting the educational sector.
Nyok also echoed these sentiments and appealed to the Ministry of Finance and the education committee members in the Legislative Assembly to urgently consider the fate of the candidates.
Public higher institutions of learning across the country, such as the University of Juba, University of Bahr el Ghazal, University of Rumbek, Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science & Technology, and Upper Nile University, have announced admission slots for the August 2024 intake, starting from July 15 and ending on July 26, 2024.
In late June 2024, the Ethiopian government announced 188 scholarships, including 160 for undergraduates, for South Sudanese students who wish to study in Ethiopia.
The delay in releasing examination results might affect learners who wish to pursue their educational journey further.
Nyok expressed regret for the inconvenience and promised to release the results as soon as the remaining money was cleared.
At least 45,666 candidates in December 2023, sat for the CSE examinations across the country.
However, the examination results display has been long overdue for almost 8 months now, which is contrary to NEC policies regarding the release of examination results.