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My stepdaughter academic excellence call for support of girl child education

4 min read

Let’s support girl-child education: A South Sudanese girl shines in the Ugandan 2016 PLE results

Authored by Dr Isaac Ayii Ayii (PhD), Juba, South Sudan

Akech Wol Ayii Madut
Akech Wol Ayii Madut: 2016 PLE RESULT: MTC-95, ENG-85, SST-97, SCI-83, CRE-89

February 12, 2017 (SSB) — In South Sudan particularly among the cattle keepers, girls are seen as wealth through acquisition of bride price popularly known as dowry paid after the girl by the boy’s family, however, the culture and belief need to change so that, we value our sisters and daughters the same way we value our brothers and sons in term of education which is an ingredient needed for development of human kind irrespective of gender.

Hence, girl education is incumbent upon us to ensure recruitment, retention and completion of educational goals for each child be it a girl or a boy although others see girl education as a waste with the belief that she would be married off to a distance family or any other reasons.

All those beliefs are illusions and primitive as girl child like a boy if well educated will have equal or better contribution to the family and country at large as I give a simple illustration from academic excellence of my stepdaughter which I belief such genius is rare to be found in a male child as demonstrated through her academic excellence.

Akech Wol Ayii Madut in 2016 PLE (P8) results for South Sudan just release earlier this month for Jubek State obtained an average of 89.8% (A+),  Scoring 85% in English, 95% in Mathematics, 97% in SST, 83% in Science and 89% in CRE.

Prior to being a candidate she studied the 7 primary classes in 4 years as I narrate. In 2012 she started her primary 1 in Kampala Pupil Primary School where I first enrolled her having being the first in first term she join Primary 2  in second term and right away topped her class from that term up to  the last term  of Primary 3 in 2013.

And in 2014 instead of joining Primary 4 having being promoted to from P3 she instead joined primary 5 and right from first term up to third term she topped that class and promoted to primary 6 in 2015. She did first term in the same school in Kampala and she was still the best and later in the same year in May I transferred them to Juba following the well known economic crisis which made the hard currency a nightmare.

While in Juba I looked for the best primary school although it was among the most expensive parting with about 24,000SSP per year per a child an amount I did not regret as it moves with the quality.

For her that year she requested to join Primary 7 in term 2 instead of continuing with primary 6 with my son who also wishes to join primary 4, instead of primary 3 second in term therefore, I told the teacher their wishes and there he said he would give them an exam if they pass, they would join their desired class and took them for an exercise and when he was back he said, your daughter will be in primary 7 and your son in primary 4.

And there Akech became a semi-candidate for South Sudan Primary Leaving Examination in Kampala Prime Junior School a branch of Juba and in 2016 she became a candidate and obtained the above results

In conclusion from the narrative above, I would kindly request they rest of parents/guardians to value girl child education as it would benefit both the family, nation and the world at large since most successful leaders, managers are our mothers with divine given responsibility and natural experience of carrying a child for 9 months and raising it up to adulthood.

Therefore giving them education as a basic human right would go a long way in perfecting on already given divine responsibility, let us as stop seeing them as properties/wealth but instead see them as professionals in development

You can reach the author, Dr Isaac Ayii Ayii (PhD), via his contacts: Tel: +211955364626 / Email:ayiiisaac728@gmail.com

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