Universal primary Education: challenges and possible forms to address it (2-2)
The concern citizen
Universal primary Education: challenges and possible forms to address it (2-2)
By: Morris Mabior Awikjokdit
Education is widely seen as one of the most promising paths for individuals to realize better, more productive lives and as one of the primary drivers of national economic development of South Sudan. The citizens and the government of the Republic of South Sudan should invest heavily in improving both access and quality education, in an effort to realize the promise of education as well as to achieve the education- related millennium development goals and vision by 2020.
The objective of this article is to inform the education managers to develop investment strategy of the government of South Sudan by:
- Identifying the key issues facing the education sector of South Sudan.
- Suggesting potential solutions based on lessons learned from rigorous quantitative research experience.
- Summarizes promising solutions that could be important for education in South Sudan but that may not have enough support from rigorous research and;
- Highlighting a subset of proven high impact and cost effective policies that could boost the productivity of the education sector.
The potential solutions are based on evidence drawn from rigorous quantitative experience, and in particular on randomized evaluations, which would provide the most reliable evidence on what works and what does not work in increasing access to quality education across the country.
Another major challenge that has imposed multiple threats to successful implementation of the universal primary education scheme is lack of proper planning on part of national Ministry of education and the entire states. One of the factors responsible for the improper planning is faulty census exercises and lack of quick of quick educational managers. Almost all the census exercises carried out so far under Sudan government during the interim period have been marred with massive irregularities by Khartoum miscalculation (April 2008) fifth population and Housing census.
The Sudan fifth population and housing census exercise has always raised political hysteria against Southerners leading to hyper inflation of census figures under estimating Southern civil population in low average of 4 million people, which make it impossible to know the exact figures for school population in the Republic of South Sudan. What this means that the national population census that is supposed to provide reliable data for planning and implementation has always been politicized with its attendant wrong figures.
This inadequacy in term of population data has also affected the provision of instrumental materials such as textbooks, laboratory equipments, audio-visual materials, etc. which in themselves constitute another major challenge to successful implementation of the South Sudan universal basic education (SSUBE) programme. Many of the schools do not have these materials and where available in some part of the country as if South Sudan device two or three genesis of education system. Other regions of the country have been subjected to poor educational system and others are enjoying to full of their satisfactions otherwise there is great need to unify this distorted controversial system. They are inadequate and out dated system. The overall problem regarding general inadequacy of infrastructure, teaching materials and amenities in the Southern states educational system is to be well captured.
From the foregoing can be seen that the drop-out rate depicts the level of access to education by the South Sudanese children, which by implication betrays the universalization of education in the young nation. Many reasons have been adduced for inadequate access to education, which includes costs of schooling (cost of books, equipments, and uniform, tuition and examination fees) illness, poverty and economic benefits of education.
KEY ISSUES FACING UNIVERSAL FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION
I am of the view that, key issues facing universal free primary, secondary and vocational education in the Republic of South Sudan includes number of things. While issues pertaining to early childhood education and tertiary education are also important, but, we do not includes these in the policy review process as there is limited rigorous evidence on the low effectiveness of various policy options in these sectors.
While the free universal primary education (FUPE) program has not increased to primary education especially among poorer house-hoods, ancillary costs of primary education (such as school uniforms) continue to hinder the educational attainment many children. In addition, the provision of quality education remains a challenge. This was clearly indicated in previous and recent Annual education census (AEC 2010-2012) which disappointing levels of learning among primary school children.
The continued and consistent dominance of foreign private schools in the primary leaving certificate examinations has further raised concerns about the rising disparity in quantity between public and private schools. Foreign domination has taken average lead in whatever public existing institutions from national to the grass- root level.
As students from richer families increasingly enroll in private primary schools, designing policies that address the achievement gaps in public primary schools will overwhelmingly benefit students from poorer families that are unable to access private schools.
The author is a freelance opinion writer and a professional experience teacher based in Warrap state- Kuajok and currently in Juba for an official visit. He can be reached by email: morrisawikjok@yahoo.com or contact: 0954243501, 0912646306
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