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“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace."
– Confucius
Following decades of continuous conflict in Sudan, the Republic of South Sudan was established in 2011 so as to put an end to this never-ending political strife. These attempts were unsuccessful as armed conflict and political instability continue to threaten the lives of South Sudanese civilians, their property, and their rights.
Since December of 2013, nearly 2 million South Sudanese civilians have been displaced into neighboring countries—primarily into Uganda, Ethiopia, and Sudan[1]. According to UNICEF, nearly one million South Sudanese refugees have settled in Uganda alone[2].
South Sudanese refugees lack the most basic human rights and necessities as a result of political conflict and instability; this includes a lack of shelter, protection, and medical care. A great proportion of these South Sudanese refugees consists of women and children, each of which has grown in an environment brimming with violence and destructive conflict.
In the long-run, this has destroyed job opportunities for adults and potential future opportunities for children displaced within South Sudan and in the regions outside it. According to UNICEF’s 2015 Education for All 2015 National Review, only 27 percent of South Sudanese adults are literate[3] and 43 percent of children are out of primary school[4]. Females are particularly less likely to stay in primary school or continue into secondary school[5].
The toll taken on South Sudanese children and their future is largely due to a fear surrounding the enrollment of children into school. Civilians fear for the safety of their children given the lack of protection around schools and girls, in particular. Children who have been displaced due to conflict with Sudan tend to end up in communities in which education is limited or threatened. Atop these issues, education resources—including teachers—are in extreme demand[6]. The shortage of teachers and of spaces for learning are primary issues with South Sudanese education at present.
Despite South Sudan’s immediate goals to prioritize education following its independence in 2011, the General Education Act of 2012 needs some assistance[7]. As mentioned before, the 2015 ‘Education for All’ (EFA) goal established by UNESCO, aims to meet 6 main education goals by 2022 and to make South Sudan a fully literate country by 2040[8].
The goals of the EFA are to do the following:
Goal 1: To expand and improve early childhood care and education of children, particularly for those who are most disadvantaged.
Goal 2: By 2015, EFA wishes to ensure that all children, especially girls, who belong to ethnic minorities or are in difficult circumstances are able to attend and finish school with no costs and a good quality education.
Goal 3: The EFA aims to ensure that all children are granted access to learning according to their needs by establishing appropriate “learning and life-skills programs”.
Goal 4: EFA aims to achieve an increase in the proportion of literate adults of 50 percent, especially for women, by 2015. This means also establishing access to continuing education for adults.
Goal 5: Eliminating gender inequality in primary in secondary education levels and quality with a specific focus on ensuring that girls have adequate access to education by 2015.
Goal 6: EFA aims to improve every aspect of the quality of education that everyone receives. This means proportions of literate civilians and those educated in numeracy and essential life skills increases.
The EFA aims to create and fund learning spaces with WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene team) facilities and to produce physical learning materials for South Sudanese school use[9]. The goal is also to increase the number of adequate teachers by hiring and training teachers under this program[10]. UNESCO and UNHCR both aim to help improve education programs for refugees, in particular, for girls.
In December of 2013, the implementation of EFA goals came to a halt because of political instability and continuous conflict in South Sudan[11]. In November of 2014, the MoEST (The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology) and its partners reviewed the education progress once more and decided to restructure teacher salaries, provide more grants for education, and establish national secondary schools[12].
The anticipated success of the EFA’s new goals is depended upon by millions of South Sudanese citizens and refugees for the safety and protection of their future success. If the EFA’s goals are met, the security and stability of education in South Sudan would introduce a safe environment for the displaced civilians of South Sudan to return to. According to UNICEF’s October 2018 situation report, 161,640 children are in school, 37 percent of which are girls[13]. With the help of UNICEF’s partners (Mercy Corps, World Relief, INTERSOS, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)), learning materials were provided through dignity kits[14]. The kits benefitted 60,523 children, of which 27,450 were girls[15]. Thanks to UNICEF and its partners, South Sudanese insecurity has fallen, according to October’s situation reports, while the number of trained teachers has risen alongside the number of children with access to education[16].
Donate to UNICEF to help children in need: https://support.unicef.org/donate/now
REFERENCES:
Education for All (EFA) Review Report 2015: Republic of South Sudan. unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002316/231645e.pdf.
Robinson, Catherine. “South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda Now Exceed 1 Million.” UNHCR, 17 Aug. 2017, www.unhcr.org/news/stories/2017/8/59915f604/south-sudanese-refugees-uganda-exceed-1-million.html.
UNICEF, South Sudan Humanitarian Situation Report, October 31st, 2018, https://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/UNICEF_South_Sudan_Humanitarian_Situation_Report____31_October_2018.pdf.
[1] Education for All 2015 National Review Report: South Sudan, p5.
[2] South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda Now Exceed 1 Million.
[3] EFA National Review Report 2015, p6.
[4] Ibid., p38.
[5] Ibid., p38.
[6] Ibid., p5.
[7] Ibid., p20.
[8] Ibid., p5.
[9] UNICEF, October 2018 South Sudan Situation Report, p3.
[10] EFA National Review Report 2015, p5.
[11] Ibid., p8.
[12] Ibid., p8.
[13] UNICEF, October 2018 South Sudan Situation Report, p5.
[14] Ibid., p5.
[15] Ibid., p5.
[16] Ibid., p8.