2 December 2008 - President of Government of Southern Sudan applauds progress and partnerships in educationHis Excellency Salva Kiir, the President of the Government of Southern Sudan today hailed the progress being made in education in Southern Sudan with the support from the Japanese through UNICEF. President Kiir was speaking during the inauguration of a primary school in Lainya County, in the Central Equatoria State of Southern Sudan. The school is one of several new primary schools in Southern Sudan that have been constructed through a partnership between the Government of Southern Sudan, Japan and UNICEF. President Kiir emphasized education as the bedrock of a sustainable development and said every body has to do more to reverse the worst trends that are a result of the 21 years of the war that ended in 2005. “To the girls, I am telling you that if a man approaches and says I love you, tell him, if you love me, you will let me first finish my school”, said President Kiir. “I urge our people to ensure their children go to school because our hopes for the future rest on their shoulders,” he further added. The Japanese government has contributed US$8.6 million to the Child-Friendly Schools Project through a joint programme between UNICEF and the Government of Southern Sudan. These funds have enabled 20 permanent schools to be constructed and 19 others repaired and brought back into full use. The Japanese contribution was also used to provide water in schools and procure 350,000 sets of textbooks, benefiting 750,000 schoolchildren. “The construction of schools like this one is therefore just a modest beginning. As the real challenge, this school must be maintained and run by local government and community for children,” said the Japanese Ambassador to Sudan, His Excellency Mr Yuichi Ishii in a statement read at the ceremony. “Education particularly that of girls is the single most important investment that Southern Sudan can make in its future,” said Peter Crowley, Director of Operations for the UNICEF Southern Sudan Area Programme, who joined President Kiir in his visit to the school. “The school you are inaugurating here in Lainya today stands as a symbol of the generosity of the Japanese people and of their commitment to helping ensure a better future for the children of Southern Sudan,” he added. An assessment of learning places in Southern Sudan conducted in 2006 revealed that of the 3,100 learning spaces surveyed, only 16 per cent were in permanent buildings. One school in four had chairs and desks. Half of these had furniture only for teachers. During the civil war, only one girl out of every hundred was estimated to finish primary school. The lack of appropriate school structures and separate sanitation facilities has been identified as a major barrier to girls’ enrolment in school. With UNICEF support, the Government of Southern Sudan launched the ‘Go to School Initiative’ in April 2006. To date, school enrollment has surged to 1.2 million from a war time estimate of 343,000. As demand has increased, the need for more learning spaces, textbooks, desks and other supplies has also risen - making the contribution of the Government of Japan especially timely. “We will not be disturbed by rain, we will now be able to concentrate,” said Lokule Stephen, who is in his fourth grade. Before the construction of the school, the children used to learn in the open.
UNICEF's support to education in Sudan |
