Investing in the welfare and training of teachers improves quality education in South Sudan

Bentiu, South Sudan – The very different picture seen at Rubkona and Bieh IDP site Primary Schools are typical across many remote areas in South Sudan. While pupils learn in newly renovated classrooms at Rubkona school ­– at Bieh IDP site, thousands of displaced children sit in the shade beneath trees, watching teachers write on portable blackboards leaning against the trees or under UNICEF emergency tents set up as makeshift classrooms.

The common factor between the two is that the majority – around 80% ­‑- of people teaching children voluntarily do it. Across South Sudan, teachers play a crucial role in educating the next generation. Yet, despite progress toward paying teachers a regular salary, many teachers are not paid on time or volunteers are not on the government’s payroll. It has a dire consequence on children’s learning in remote and hard-to-reach areas with already limited resources.

“Being a teacher is not easy; salaries are not paid on time, and sometimes, it can take two to three months before teachers are paid,” says Tereza John, a teacher at Rubkona Primary School.

Paying teachers regularly and on time is a critical factor in ensuring all children receive the best possible quality education they deserve. It is vital for a sustainable future. “We meet teachers regularly to understand some of their challenges; if teachers are not paid on time, they don’t come to school, and if they don’t, the children will not be learning,” said Yohannes Tob, UNICEF Education focal point in Bentiu. “When children are not learning, the future of this country will be a setback for all of us.”

Providing quality education for children, many of who have lost homes, schools and health centres due to recurring floods, is more than just a matter of motivation. It is a matter of investing in the welfare of teachers.  For nearly three years, Maluth Kuol Gatluak - a teacher, like many others at Bieh Primary School, devoted himself to his students without a salary. The teachers’ families struggled to make ends meet. It took a toll on their ability to focus on their students’ needs.

Through the Education Outreach Programme, funded by the European Union, UNICEF can provide some teachers with monthly incentives and professional development training, resulting in significant classroom improvements.  “We need this help to continue teaching and do our job better,” said Gatluak. 

“We don’t have enough to feed our families,” he says. In addition, the regular teachers’ salary is often late, and some do not receive the teachers’ incentive.” Regardless of all these challenges, Gatlauk and his fellow teachers work hard to provide the best education they can for the learners. “It’s about our passion for our learners,” he adds. “We are only here because of them. We treat them as if they are our children. We are not only here for the money.”

Across South Sudan’s Unity State, 173 schools have been affected by the ongoing flooding over the last three years. The State Government, UNICEF and its partners are exerting efforts to improve the education sector so that teachers can overcome the challenges of salary delay and low payment.

Honourable Zakaria Matur Makter at the Transitional National Legislative Assembly heads the Committee for Higher Education. He expresses the importance of quality education. “We must train and invest in teachers because they will be the ones to provide quality education. When they are trained, you also motivate them. When you pay them, you keep them in schools and the teaching profession.” 

South Sudan’s children have better access to quality education when teachers are paid well and regularly. That is why The Ministry of General Education and Instruction is working with UNICEF and its partners – to ensure teachers’ payments are improved, teachers are trained and motivated and are provided with teaching and learning material - to increase access to quality education for learners nationwide.

As education partners strive to realise access to quality education, it is crucial to prioritise investing in teachers’ welfare to sustain the gains and expand access to quality education for all children in South Sudan.

Teachers are vital to educating and inspiring future leaders, entrepreneurs and thinkers. Hence, quality education has a lasting impact on the future generation and can shape children's future for many years.

“I encourage education partners and the government of South Sudan to provide teachers with their needs. This will motivate us to teach our children,” says Gatluak. “When I see their performance, I feel very proud and feel that my work is a success for my children,” he adds.

Teacher training coupled with sustained teacher salaries

“Of course, you can’t be a teacher minus any training; these teachers have been trained in teaching methodologies and the ethics of being a teacher,” said Cornelius Oyee, Headteacher at Riwoto Primary in Eastern Equatoria’s Riwoto town. “After their training, they are working with us, helping to teach. Previously, there were only three qualified teachers, but now we have been joined by 20 newly trained teachers. The school becomes better, thanks to the additional teachers. We will now work to the best of our knowledge to bring our children the best quality of education. We will not give up; we are going ahead,” he adds.

Across South Sudan, UNICEF and partners have trained 6,410 unqualified teachers to upgrade their skills, knowledge and teaching ability.

UNICEF is working with donor partners, the African Development Bank, the European Union, and the Global Partnership for Education to support education in South Sudan, which has been pivotal for improved teacher capacity and motivation through teacher incentives and teacher training. 

There is a long way to go, with the majority of teachers remaining as volunteers, not receiving any payment and not being trained. But combining teacher training, upgrading school facilities and learning materials, and ongoing advocacy with Government to sustain gains made in paying existing teachers is a step in the right direction.