The Archbishop of the Catholic archdiocese of Juba, Dr Stephen Ameyu Martin, has said investing in children’s education is key to the development and peaceful coexistence of polarised society.
Dr Ameyu made the remarks during his visit to the Bishop Mazzoldi Memorial Basic School, where he consecrated more than 65 young schoolboys and schoolgirls with holy ointment on Friday.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“Educated people are not desperate; they value the lives of their fellow human beings because life is sacred. If we want our children to succeed, we have a role to play in their education, ” said Dr Ameyu.
“Education and peace [are] the seal of society; through education, we will have peace in this country.”
He called on parents to participate in the education of their children despite the economic situation that has hard hit every development sector in the country, prompting some teachers to quit the profession.
In late 2021, teachers in some parts of the country laid down their tools as they demanded a 100 per cent pay increase that President Salva Kiir had ordered to be paid to all civil servants.
While other states, such as Eastern Equatoria took proactive measures to avert a ’ strike, tutors in Jonglei and the Central Equatoria states were on strike after their local governments failed to meet the presidential demands.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});The failure to meet teachers’ demand could affect the education sector, already negatively impacted by the two years’ COVID-19 pandemic, slowing down the learning process in South Sudan.
A report by the United Nations Children Agency (UNICEF), states that in 2020, the education sector in South Sudan was one of the least prioritised sectors, with over 2.2 million children left without access to quality education in the country.
Despite the fact that the agreed international standard for education allocation is 20 per cent of the national budget, the country spent only 5.6 per cent of its national budget on education in 2019/2020, making it one of the lowest public education spending countries in East Africa, according to studies.
The former UNICEF Country Representative, Dr Mahamed Ag Ayoya urged that: “Education must be a top priority for the government in South Sudan and sufficient allocations must be made to ensure every child in the country can go to school and learn.”
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});He added, “By investing in the education of its children, South Sudan is investing in the future and development of the whole country.”