A total of 34,536 candidates will be sitting for this year’s South Sudan Secondary School Examination Certificate beginning Monday, the Secretary-General of South Sudan National Examination Council Simon Manyok Deng has said.

“Everything is arranged, we have already transported the exams to all locations in the country and we are set to begin the exams on Monday,” Manyok told The City Review.  

Manyok said 11,716 girls and 22,820 boys will take the examinations beginning March 22, 2021.

But the process will roll out having braved the logistical challenges in the preparation stage. Manyok said that apart from the COVID-19 pandemic, transporting the materials has not been easier.

He said that some areas were inaccessible even by air, and that they had to use canoes to deliver the exam materials.

Confidence against odds

As for teachers like Nile Model Senior Secondary School Deputy Headmaster Levi Gurgur, students are adequately prepared for the tests.

‘‘We as teachers have finished our part by providing the lessons and now we are encouraging them on how to handle the exams,’’ he said.

He underlined challenges especially restructuring the learning environment to meet COVID-19 protocols after the ministry of higher education directed the reopening of schools last year October.

 “We provided them with facemasks, washing facilities, and sanitisers,” he said.

Gurgur said the school will have to grapple with the need to maintain social distancing during the examination period because of limited resources. For instance, he has to fit 573 students in 14 classrooms

South Sudan’s examination regulation rules stipulate that classrooms can only contain 30 learners to effect the observance of safety protocols.

“Our number is very big and our classes cannot manage to take all the total number,” he lamented, adding that he could use trees to shelter extra learners who will miss spaces in classrooms.

 Abdul Wahid, a history teacher at the school, exuded confidence that they managed to cover topics within the period of five months and learners were fully equipped.

“Even with the coronavirus, we showed that there is effort and teachers worked so hard. Imagine syllabuses that are supposed to be covered almost for nine or eight months were covered in the period of five months?” Wahid posed.

He added:  “We have disinfected all the classes; we washed the classes and we also provided the students with the facemasks and sanitisers will be given to the students on Monday from the entry point.’’

Linda Julius, a 17-year-old senior four student at the told The City Review confirmed that learners were ready for the challenge.

“I am ready to face the exams. I have confidence that I will pass the exams,” she said.