Bor’s Alliance High School: The Pride of South Sudan
The rise into National Academic Scene! – Alliance High School (Bor) is the dream school of your Child!
By Makwei Achol Thiong, Bor, South Sudan
![The first form one students of Alliance [2009]. Front line from left; Akau, Achol, Thon, Guet, Bol, Amer, Chol. Back line from left; Diing, xxxxxx, Bok, Ngong, Deng, xxxxx, Alier](https://i0.wp.com/paanluelwel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/alliance-high-bor.jpg?ssl=1)
October 16, 2015 (SSB) —- In 2008, a group of ten students from Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science & Technology voluntarily opened an Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) centre under a tree at Hai Machuor Church, Bor town. Being at the neighborhood of the University, the neighboring community was well placed to benefit from such community service programs from the New University.
The vision was to help primary school drop-outs (those who are too shy to continue with primary education because of their age), the demobilized child soldiers and all those who didn’t have the chance to learn during the long period of liberation struggle which ultimately ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005.
ALP program is designed in a way that the Eight years of primary education are condensed to four and the learners sit for Primary Leaving Certificate in which the successful ones either join secondary school education or branch to technical or vocational schools.
Another motivational factor for opening up the Centre was for the newly created university to find it easy to interact with the community. The centre was an eye-opener as many who joined got the learning environment less intimidating and favorable for those who are critical of their age. As old as 60 years old learners enrolled.
Looking at such motivations from the community as they showed the will to learn irrespective of their age, we had to challenge ourselves with another level. This time we had to think about the products of our own centre who would after four years finish their condensed primary education course. At that time, there was no any vocational school and there was one high school, Malek Secondary School, in the whole town running its programs in English.
With huge support from the church leadership in terms of offering spaces and erecting temporal classrooms, the community became part and parcel of the new project including future plans. The single long term project that could serves both purposes; our products after four years and the primary school leavers, was to open a community based high school. The church leadership and the community accepted to construct some temporal classrooms in order to serve both purposes; the ALP classes and the high school in plan.
Recalling that only one high school operated in English in the whole city, limited opportunity for primary school leavers to choose from the school of their choice hindered the dreams of better learning institutions as their choices were always dictated. This forced many parents to consider the option of sending their children for studies outside Southern Sudan to the neighboring countries like Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, etc. But was that the right option to exodus the autonomous region when the historic plebiscite was two years away?????
With returnees coming back home in big numbers from within the country and refugees across the neighboring countries, there was need to diversify education system in the state in order to meet the mounting challenge. This unresolved future was an incentive and a better reason to labor and carry the burden of additional responsibility in opening up a community based high school. This school became to be known as Alliance High School and its motto is “Where there is a Will, there is a Way”.
By late November 2008, a small community fund raising was supplemented by food-for-work from World Food Program (WFP) which helped us construct two semi-permanent blocks. By the end of January 2009, the two semi-permanent blocks petitioned into four classrooms were ready. One was used as administrative block and the other as classrooms. By the first week of February 2009, an advertisement was put up for primary leavers and high school dropouts to join the newly opened high school after acquiring necessary documents from the state Ministry of Education.
The ten student teachers were now joined by sympathizers and their colleagues to provide the teaching duties. Motivated by the desire to help the community, “every single volunteer teacher”, and I repeat; “every single volunteer teacher” gave it all for the sake of changing the community for the betterment.
You can imagine how the poor students lived-up with the huge expectations of establishing a community centre amidst their own academic concerns at the University?
Beginning is not always easy! With less than thirty students in the two classes (Form 1 & 2) in our first year, we had every reason to be disappointed, but we didn’t allow poor enrolment affect our own intentions. There was poor quality academic facilities in term of classrooms, but our quality and intensive teaching was enough to attract students in our second year as they poured-in in numbers. Those in our first intake became ambassadors of good teaching we offer. The institutionalization of Alliance High School in 2009 added flavor and appetite in the state as pupils in primary schools became more competitive so that the best performers could easily joined the new school.
The school since then didn’t look back as it dominated state functions and programs in aspects such as performing educative poems and dramas on special topics like HIV/AIDS, Gender based violence, Girl Child Education, peace education, etc. One heroic moment was when the choir club of Alliance High School voluntarily taught our national anthem in the whole state of Jonglei prior to the declaration of independence on July 9th, 2011.
Because of all these outstanding contributions and how the school was resonating in the town, former Governor of Jonglei state and currently Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Kuol Manyang Juuk took visit to the school in 2011. He was overwhelmed by the history of the school and how far it has gone. He without hesitation directed the state minister of physical infrastructure, Hon. John Amuor Kuol to allot a permanent land for the school. The school has now secured a land measuring 150m by 100m.
In academic field, the school has since produced real talents. Currently, the products of this unknown high school in 2009 are pursuing varied disciplines beyond the boundaries of South Sudan. Most notably; John Bok Chol is pursuing a bachelor degree in Medicine and Surgery at Moi University, Kenya, Lual Mach Deng is pursuing a bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering in Canada, Marko Chol Madol is pursuing a degree in Geology and Mining at the International University of East Africa, etc.
The school has also produced for local labor market among them includes Racho Achol Achien, a local Journalist working for The Nation Mirror, Ruben Kuany is a head teacher in one of the primary school in Juba, Gabriel Marial Madit works for an international NGO in Duk County, etc. The school has also dominated recent intake into Public Universities across South Sudan as most of our students have been given good courses in Engineering, Medicine, Law, Economics, etc due to their outstanding academic discipline.
After the outbreak of violence in 2013, the school temporally relocated to Juba where it continued its academic programs. Most of our students in the main campus in Bor before 2013 December crisis didn’t make it to us in Juba but the few who managed endured tough stay due to difficult economy on the displaced persons but never was the determination of these students threatened. Our students despite the harsh conditions managed to sit for the South Sudan Certificate of Secondary Education (SSCSE) in 2014.
On the release of these results, the best and the eight best students in the country were from Alliance High School. Bravo Majok Deng Akok – the best student, Bravo Thon Tuor Mabiei– the eighth best student, Bravo the class of 2014/2015, and Bravo Alliance High School family.
The management of the school then closed its centre in Juba in late 2014 and relocated back to Bor where it currently operate in its old semi-permanent premises as it endeavors to permanently relocate to its permanent site.
The author is the Chairperson of Board of Directors of Alliance High School. You can email him through makweiachol@yahoo.com
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