Let’s Stand in Solidarity with the Impoverished Students of the Five Public Universities in South Sudan
About the closure of Juba University: Don’t let the poor suffer and die; Build Solid Society, stands together in solidarity and loving care to share pains and sufferings
By Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, Juba, South Sudan
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 (PW) — Remember, we have different thoughts and views for this Country. My dear fellow citizens, the issue is not about let the poor suffer and die. It is about a solid Society where citizens of one Country stands together in a loving care and solidarity to share pains and sufferings.
For instance, I would have not bothered as long as I fully paid one Academic year for my younger brother at the College of Natural Resources, Department of Agricultural Sciences. This is simply because, I am able to day so. But, I wouldn’t expect citizens to be heartless and careless about poor families who are unable to pay tuition fees for their children.
This Nation must not be led according to the interests of those individual families who can afford everything without difficulties. We never know, one to two decades later, the true and charismatic leaders who will positively change and do wonderful achievements for this Country, will come from that poor families whose their children where mercilessly blocked and threatened to be deregistered should they failed to pay tuition fees on time.
My beloved citizens, If you are of that kind of heartless people, I am totally against your move and expect those poor families to gang up against you till you feel the pain. Possession of some material resources can not make you dominates all privileges in ignorance of disadvantaged groups. This Country belongs to everyone, whether rich or poor and equality must be critically observed. The price of tuition fees, must be an average that both rich and the poor can afford.
I am seeing, South Sudanese wants to create Indians’ Social Caste System where there is first, second and the third classes. I swear, if this system is on making in this Country, it is not too late to dismantle those resources that put you above everybody till you regret. In this Country, children of the poor, widows, orphans and people with disabilities must study at the same Universities and the same Colleges at a minimum tuition fees possible.
My dear Citizens, instead of making sabotage and misleading University Authorities to feel as if they are on right track, consider that, society is made up of rich and the poor people and status can never be same as some individuals blindly expects. Therefore, we cannot mislead our government and the public if decision made by the University is incredibly disadvantaging the whole Society. Some people are putting fake arguments that, government as no money.
Okay, if government doesn’t have money when it is a custodian who is owning all the public resources including oil and non-oil revenues, land, forests wàter, Human and wildlife resources, where do you expect poor citizens to get money from?. Government did not provide stable security for citizens to engage in economic activities including Agricultural production. This is a question to all those people blaming students against protests.
Finally, government institution is a government Institution, no change of status whatsoever the matter maybe. Therefore, all public Institutions including Universities, directly operates under well planed government funding programme not on students’ tuition fees. If government fails financially to operate public Universities for instance, then, let them be privatized officially under any International trusteeship to run them smoothly. Instead of mercilessly victimizing poor South Sudanese citizens who even sleep on empty stomachs without food, water, poor security and bad health conditions.
If you think you are rich, please, donate for the poor students or donate to our five public Universities, period. The best way of stopping Students from causing chaos in the Univerity, is by paying, “too little tuition fees” for them. Because, there are people describing this tuition fees as, “too little”.
The Author, Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, Holds Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development and Community Studies (2018/2019) and Bachelor’s of Science in Economics (2013-2017) from Rumbek University of Science and Technology (RUST). He can be reached via contacts below:
E-mail: ariikkuolariik@gmail.com Twitter: @AriikKuolAriik; Skype/WhatsApp: +211 923 650 380;Cell Phone:+211 928 187 790