BY Yiep Joseph
Over 4,000 students from the University of Juba have graduated, and the government is urging them to become job creators rather than job seekers.
Addressing the ceremony on behalf of President Salva Kiir, , Vice President in charge of Service Cluster Josephine Lagu urged the fresh graduates to create jobs for themselves.
“You graduates, you are the job creators, as said early by the Minister of Higher Education, not job seekers. Let’s create jobs,” Lagu said.
The vice president claimed that there is no need for South Sudanese to complain about unemployment, citing that there are many opportunities.
“They are many job opportunities in our country, and our country is a virgin land, a land of opportunity, and we should never be talking of unemployment and lack of jobs,” she said.
She urged the graduates to focus on activities that benefit the country, adding that there are many opportunities that need creativity.
“There are many job opportunities in our country, and our country is a virgin land, a land of opportunity and
VP Lagu urged the graduates to engage in entrepreneurship which is currently dominated by the neighbouring countries.
“Now you have the skills; there is no reason for us to depend on foreigners. I am against foreigners, but we cannot rely on foreign entrepreneurs even to provide the basic necessities,” she said.
Professor Robert Mayom Kuoirot, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Juba (UoJ), called on the students to be creative and innovative.
He expressed that the skills acquired at the university are enough and would enable one to be employed.
Prof. Mayom called on the government to double its efforts in supporting the university.
Last month, the former commissioner of Lainya County in Central Equatoria State, Emmanuel Khamis, urged the government to retire older officials to pave the way for fresh graduates.
“Senior citizens”—those” of retirement age, generally from 65 years and above—are continuing to hold office, even though the official retirement age in South Sudan is 65.
Officials are emphasizing the importance of self-employment, but some members of the public criticize this stance, pointing out that many officials tend to hire their relatives for lucrative positions in the country.
This practice leaves qualified graduates without job opportunities due to a lack of connections.
While some government institutions publicly advertise job openings, others recruit and appoint candidates at their discretion.
Notably, former Minister of Finance Dr. Barnaba Bak Chol has acknowledged the issue of over-employment.
While the Transitional Constitution 2011 (Section 84(1)) mandates retirement at 65 for civil servants, and the Pension Fund Act, 2012 (sections 6(1), 8(d), & 9(1)) provides for a pension fund, many officials above this age remain in their positions.
This situation persists even though South Sudan launched its first pension payments in 2019, raising questions about the availability of funds and the enforcement of retirement regulations.