South Sudan should invest in education so as to restore peace, hope and trust
The South Sudanese Government, the communities, and the international communities should invest in Education in emergencies so as to restore peace, hope, and trust among the war-torn communities
By Ustaz Abraham Mabior Rioc, Juba, South Sudan
August 15, 2016 (SSB) — Educational opportunities are the means in restoring peace, hope, trust, and confidence among the war-ravaged communities particularly during an emergency and in post-conflict reconstruction. According to the World Bank (2005) report on post-conflict education (as cited in Mundy & Sarah, 2011, p.27) recommends prioritizing education as a critical post-conflict intervention for reshaping the future and identifies the need to focus on reestablishing a functioning school system as a peace dividend that will foster confidence in the period of transformation toward peace.
An emergency situation can occur any time within nations or among the communities in any given country as a result of frustrations of people due political, economic or cultural grievances. But what has to be taken into consideration is that, the concerned authorities and the well-wishers are the application of possible modalities to deescalate it in order to avoid further implications and destructions of both human and material resources.
In the South Sudan context, the recurring conflicts and communal tensions have been on rise even before and after the independence of the Republic of South Sudan due to lack of education and other life-saving skills. When we revisit the history of south Sudan from the earlier years up to date, one can clearly understand and believe that endless conflicts have been on and off and so they seem to have been the true-life habits of different categories of south Sudanese communities.
These endless conflicts and hatred among the south Sudanese communities have stained and tarnished the good image and the potentiality of the country to the region and indeed, to the wider community.
In fact, all the tribes of South Sudan are in the same and equal records of the international community labelled as people who have no future for their country. Rationally, campaigning of some tribes against other tribes as good boys and girls, will not solve the South Sudan problem but it will even make it worse by creating more confusion and flings the country into the abyss of war.
To put in a nutshell, hate speeches and war propaganda which have been entertained in the different social media by peace-hating people either outside the country or in the hotels in south Sudan should know that they are escalating the war and creating deep hatred among the south Sudanese communities. These social media users pass wrong information to people and therefore, create panic and distrust among the people.
It is easy to brainstorm your mind and post nonsense in the media but they should know that war is not winnable in the social media but it is won in the battle field.
In one of the social media, I read a hate speech delivered inside the holy church by one of the catholic priests here in Juba who happen to be a south Sudanese himself. This hate speech took me by surprise and made me think that God’s servants (priests) are no longer peace-makers but violent-inciters and hate speech entertainers. I recall Judah Iscariot in the bible who betrayed Jesus to death, and so, he is now known in the bible and in the world history as a betrayer and a cursed person.
The social media users should be careful when posting their opinions concerning the issues of their country. However, the betrayers of South Sudan will be judged accordingly by the country’s history and the blood of the martyrs as far as the struggle for the independence of the Republic of South Sudan is concerned.
In such circumstances, the government, the communities, and the well-wishers should step in the gaps and double their efforts to prioritize education to arrest these subsequent emergency situations. First of all, the government in its capacity as the controller of the state powers and wealth should empower education sector by increasing its annual budget as well as initiating and funding other income generating activities for the youths to benefit from them.
In this context, the National Ministry of Education and the State ministries of education should be empowered and reinforced in order to deliver quality educational services to the war-affected communities. By doing so, the youth will be engaged in the schools and that they may not have time to think of going to the war. Attending classes in the school plays major roles in changing the children’s attitudes since teaching and learning are the major components of socialization.
Students from other tribes will meet together in the same school settings so that they are able to create and forge a firm unity, meaningful coexistence as well as embracing a realizable peace among themselves.
In such events, the students will no longer look at themselves as potential enemies but as schoolmates who share common future goals and equal cultural and political identities. Once these educational opportunities are availed to the people, then peace, hope, and trust are likely to be restored among the stranded communities in the shortest time possible. This education in times of emergencies should not only be limited to school-going age children but should also involve adult education as well.
In actual sense, the youths or the adults are the ones fighting these endless and senseless wars and hence they end up being killed or wounded and this implies that their future is totally confused. These resourceful adults should be engaged in schools so that they find no chance to get out from school and join the armed forces for survival.
In the same note, the communities have a big role to play in this crisis so that peace prevails once again by convincing their children to refrain from violence and lay down their arms and instead take up pens and exercise books to pursue their justifiable education. The parents should understand the negative consequences of this senseless war that has been going on for ages and nothing good is gained from it.
The elders and the parents alike should stop inciting the youth to fight against each other with excuses of marginalization, oppression, and loss of pride and human dignity. These excuses are baseless and unfounded and that a sound minded-person should not take this for granted. Nobody is marginalized, oppressed, nor robbed of pride and wealth here in South Sudan.
We are all south Sudanese of equal rights to political and socio-economic prominences; and that the Republic of South Sudan belongs to all of us and nobody could claim to have an upper hand.
The youth in this country should come together, walk and work together, eat and make decisions together regarding issues concerning the destiny of their own country. They should stand tall and ask their government in a peaceful manner to provide them with educational opportunities in forms of schools, scholarships, development of teachers among others. The writer in this context, believes that it is only the education that can stop war, reshape people’s attitudes, and make the Republic of South Sudan a better place to live in once more.
In the same vein, the international communities and the well-wishers should not abandon south Sudan, but should continue to play a role in the delivery of both the humanitarian and educational services. The Republic of South Sudan is still a new-born child and it needs proper caring and orientation both socially and economically so that it finds its rightful place in the world of advance modern technology.
The international communities should design better educational opportunities to engage the youth in schools, colleges, and the universities by offering life-saving and life-sustaining messages through trainings, workshops, seminars as well as availing funds for scholarships inside or out South Sudan.
There should also be funds avail to the school drop-outs: both boys and girls so that they are fully absorbed in the small scale businesses and other income generating activities like agricultural extension activities, bread making, tailoring just to mention a few. These youth engagement activities will keep them busy and will have no time to think of carrying out criminal or politically-motivated activities.
For instance, the United States for International Agencies (USAID) availed funds early this year for Master’s in Education Project (MEP) at the University of Juba to which the writer is one of the beneficiaries; and implemented by Indiana University faculty members and the lecturers of the University of Juba. All the beneficiaries were drawn from different tribes of South Sudan irrespective of political or cultural affiliations and they are now pursing their studies together as brothers and sisters of one nation.
During the recent crisis, they had been in touch with each other, still are today, feeling very concerned about their safety and security because their attitudes are totally changed by educational experiences. They have a spirit of togetherness and now they are thinking and exploring possible ways to build peace and mitigate conflict among their fellow south Sudanese through education.
Such golden opportunities can help the youth in fostering their relationships among themselves and devise ways and means to create a sustainable education for a sustainable future.
The author is a student of Master’s Degree in Education Project (MEP) at the University of Juba, and can be reached via mabiorrioc@gmail.com
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