Universal primary Education: challenges and possible forms of addressing it (1-1)
The concern citizen
Universal primary Education: challenges and possible forms of addressing it (1-1)
By: Morris Mabior Awikjokdit
Education has variety of definitions as I mentioned earlier one of its definitions in my recent Article; let me give you another definition in relation to the content of today topic. Education, defined as a permanent change in behavior as a result of learning process, consist of all efforts (conscious or incidental) made by a society to accomplish objective which are considered to be desirable to the country instead of relying on foreign education.
This is in terms of the individual as well as the societal needs. In all human societies, particularly the modern ones, Education therefore remains one of the most powerful instruments for both the development of man and transformation of the human society. However, the efficacy of quality Education as an instrument of transformation depends entirely on how the government manages the project meant for the upliftment of the Education system. In this Article, I will outline few challenges facing the establishment of Universal basic Education project is to be examined while it also proffers solutions to meet the challenges.
All over the world, primary Education has been regarded as the most important step as well as the most patronized by people. This perhaps may be due to the fact that, it is the foundation of the whole educational pursuit, which is expected to provide literacy and enlightenment to the citizen. The importance to establish universal education in South Sudan is therefore, to be seen in the sense that all beneficiaries of the other levels of education by necessity have to pass through this stage.
What this means is that primary education of South Sudan be defined as the education given in an institution for children below age of (7-17) years plus constitutes the bedrock upon, which the entire education system is to be built. Indeed, the success and failure of the entire education system of South Sudan lies in our own hands and will be determined by it and it is at the heart of the concept of basic universal education as defined as universalization of access to education.
Recognizing the importance of our own primary education system of the Republic of South Sudan, all governments in Juba and in states (past and present) should place premium on it by making primary education the centre piece of their educational policies instead of starting it from the top of the tree, they should first establish the base and lay a strong foundation. This will also minimize our children going to East Africa in search for quality universal primary education. It is more expanses for us South Sudanese in terms of transportation, accommodation, feeding and paying of school fees. This wrong concept imposed on South Sudan education system has also distorted our economic position as a nation.
Since, the colonial period therefore, both colonial and currently independent governments in South Sudan and states failed to institute one form of educational reform instead of relying on both Sudan and East Africa syllabuses. Where South Sudan is unified curriculum? If South Sudan has unified curriculum? How many years for primary, Secondary and university? Children are confused with new system to be adopted by South Sudan. This has resulted to closure of Kuajok secondary school in Warrap state because students were told that, they go up to fourth year secondary and sit for national exams of secondary education.
This indicates that there is no different between the past and present in the Educational development of the Republic of South Sudan. That is the country’s historical antecedents have impact on how educational policies are formulated and implemented starting from the colonial era up to the present time.
The Anglo- Egyptian condominium rule based education on Islamization and Arabization through the influence of Khartoum based government. British came in through Comboni missionaries and Arabic was still imposed and taught in “Klawas”, which consists of primary, secondary, sixth from as well as higher education. However, the Islamic education had been spread in all Southern regions as the official language for the whole of Sudan before the Juba conference of 1947.
In this conference Southern Sudanese resolved and opted to join East African community and unified the educational system. The colonial administration, before independence of Sudan in 1956 both administered the then Southern education through the use of education ordinance, their education privacy, and their education policies based on sharia law and intended pure marginalization.
The objective of this opinion piece of Article, therefore, is to theoretically, identify the challenges facing the establishment of universalization of education at the primary level in South Sudan and to suggest the way forward. Dr. Riek Gai Yosh, Minister of education science and technology should look into lying of strong foundation instead of starting foundation at the top. He has done with secondary and he has done with public universities and you need to look behind yourself sir. Quality education is not quality secondary school or Quality University but education is quality primary school.
In order to achieve this objective, there is an urgent need to renovates Tonj Institute of Education in Tonj town, Malakal and Maridi, so that standard of teachers had to be upgraded because the present teaching is the recruitment made during the before and after signing the post comprehensive peace agreement (CPA). They are lacking skills of teaching like teaching methods, making scheme of works and breakdown of lesson plans into teachable units and terms. The evolution of universal education in South Sudan, its challenges and provided suggestions for the way forward.
THE CHALLENGES OF THE SOUTH SUDAN BASIC EDUCATION (SSUBE) PROGRAMME
South Sudan in the history of liberation struggle failed defines her own guiding principles and policies of its educational system and any way it has some made break through. To review the policy of New Sudan educational system and make critical comparison is beyond reasonable doubt. The national ministry of education did not take off at the same time in states of the Republic South Sudan and that has contributed to the failure of what type of education to be adopted. The implications of this are that its full assessment may be too early, considering the time it actually took off at the state levels. However, as young as the scheme is some of the challenges it is facing, both national and state levels are obvious.
The national parliament failure over, ability to allocate enough funds for a programme remains the greatest challenge that a programme can be achieved. This is also the case with the funding of primary education in South Sudan. It is evident that the national government has not spent up to 25% of its total budget on education in the last years of both interim and present Transitional periods of interrupted democracy by senseless war of Riek Machar and his groups.
The author is a freelance opinion writer and a professional experience teacher based in Warrap state- Kuajok currently in Juba for an official visit. For more information and comments, you can reach by email: morrisawikjok@yahoo.com or contact Awikjokdit son on the following: 0954243501, 0912646306
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