Tombura’s grim numbers echo a nationwide pattern, especially in conflict-ridden states like Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, and parts of Greater Equatoria, where displacement, armed attacks, and food insecurity continue to disrupt education.

By Emmanuel Mandella

In South Sudan, education has long been hailed as a path to peace and progress. But today, that path is eroding beneath the feet of the very children who should be building the nation’s future. In Tombura County, Western Equatoria State, more than 700 children have dropped out of school in just the first term of the 2025 academic year.

The numbers are alarming. According to Mathew Kassiano, the County Education Director, 759 students—including 462 girls—have abandoned their studies. The reasons are sobering: hunger, insecurity, displacement, and the lack of basic learning facilities.

“Our children are learning under trees, without chalkboards, without books, and in some cases, without even safe drinking water,” Kassiano said. “Many come from displaced families. Even the teachers are traumatized. Learning is no longer just difficult, it’s unbearable.”

Behind each dropout statistic is a story of disrupted dreams and lost potential. The reality facing Tombura is not an isolated crisis. It echoes across South Sudan, from conflict-torn Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity, to neglected communities in Greater Equatoria, where armed conflict, food insecurity, and displacement have rendered schools fragile or non-existent.

In many rural areas, children sit on stones or bare ground, exposed to the elements, while makeshift schools remain without roofs, textbooks, or chalk for months. Teachers work without pay or support, and students arrive in class hungry, scared, and unprepared.

“We are facing an education emergency,” said Sarah Luka, a primary school head teacher now based in an IDP settlement near Source Yubu. “Some of my pupils faint from hunger. Others stay home out of fear of ambushes.”

A Call to Action

Kassiano is calling on both the national government and humanitarian partners to act swiftly. His plea includes a request for school feeding programs, psychosocial support, and the construction of temporary learning spaces—especially within IDP settlements.

“We need school meals to keep children in class, clean water from boreholes, and urgent supplies of learning materials,” he said. “Without this, the future of these children and the nation itself is in peril.”

Beyond the Classroom Walls

Education in South Sudan cannot be confined to traditional classroom walls. The African proverb reminds us: It takes a village to raise a child. Perhaps it also takes a village to educate one. In markets, under trees, in churches, and community centers—every space must now become a place of learning. In the face of adversity, we must improvise, because education is not simply about sitting at a desk. It is about what we teach, what we pass on, and what we model for the next generation.

A Nation at the Crossroads

UNICEF estimates that over 2.8 million school-aged children are currently out of school in South Sudan—one of the highest rates globally. Analysts warn that without urgent investment and reform, the country risks raising a generation devoid of basic literacy, numeracy, and skills critical for employment and peacebuilding.

“This is more than a humanitarian issue,” said Peter Ogur, an education analyst in Juba. “It’s a national security and development concern. Without education, there’s no peace, no progress, and no future.”

As South Sudan prepares for elections and continues to implement its fragile peace agreements, Tombura’s distress call must not go unheard. The classroom must not become yet another casualty of conflict. Instead, it must become the foundation of the country’s recovery.

Let us rise to the occasion. Let us teach where we stand. Because if we fail to educate, we fail to build.