By Kuek Aleu Garang
April 26, 2023
South Sudanese fought a costly war of independence for many years; consequently, generations went without educational opportunities - millions died, total loss of properties, and complete destruction of the social fabric. And with the achievement of independence, South Sudanese people are forced to confront and deal with the consequences of war in the post-independence era. Some of these challenges on many fronts are; the lack of infrastructure, insecurity among the community destabilized by inter-communal conflicts, rampant food shortages, power wrangling within the SPLM party, and natural disasters like the recent floods in Jonglei, Warrap, Upper Nile, and Unity State.
These national crises could be tackled with different independence approaches. One of the main focuses should be put on education as a tool for curbing tribalism which, in my personal opinion, is an obstacle to national building. Mass education policy should be adapted in the sense that basic reading and writing should be a policy at every state and county level. Boarding schools should be enacted in all ten States to encourage interreactions between school-going children. Transfer of teachers should be encouraged to change the trajectory of war mentality. Social construction, political stability, and individual economic liberty are an upshot of high-quality education opportunities for all citizens. The government and society should concentrate on the education revolution approach to mentally reshape the next generation to foster a better future for themselves and the nation. Education has been demonstrated as the best instrument for social, political, and economic reconstruction. Education facilitates a promising alley to prosperity, individually or collectively, as a society. The societies that rely upon and promote education do well, and such civilizations advance intuitive thoughts for innovation and invention; Education civilly equips citizens to form and support politico-institutional systems that embody their views as a community- robust endurable system ever last, only if when stakeholders are well informed educationally to protect and amend when necessary.
South Sudan, a nation with significant illiteracy, will continue to suffer despite blessed natural resources should the low illiteracy rate remain undressed. The insecurity confronting the country, the economic downturn, and the social fabric destruction cannot be resolved through only appeasement among the warring parties or disarmament of the armed forces but also the inclusion of long-term solutions. The country's future will be optimistic if the government invests and declares education as a national crisis with a strategic policy to eradicate the country from illiteracy. It will take a few years to tackle all these tribulations affecting the country. So what should the government do to annul the current crisis through education?
Make education policy a National investment. Education is a fundamental right for every child to excel in life. The child's full potential and building an equitable, just society is realized through education supported and guided by solid education policy. The South Sudan government's educational blueprint that will provide quality education to all children is the best fortune for the country. The South Sudan population is young, and the number of young people in decades to come will increase relatively. Thus, the government must prepare to impede illiteracy by providing high-quality education policies that trailblaze and mold our young people to achieve their human potential and equip them to be noble citizens. South Sudan is at a phase where citizens' civil responsibilities should be molded into their souls and love of the country rather than their tribal allegiance. To Build a conceptual framework that stimulates equitable, high-quality education realigned with new-framed cultural acceptance for all South Sudanese children. The government needs an educational policy that pedagogies social and diversity tolerance besides the advancement of individual economic growth, scientific progress, and literature.
Bring back 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s school integration modalities; The generation who attended school in the 50s,60s, and 70s knows the importance and the benefit of school integration. The students from Upper Nile, Equatoria, and Bahr el Ghazal were integrated by studying away from home area schools leading to the composition of social tolerance among the students and transforming them into one social fabric family in which they saw themselves as just South Sudanese. More notably, this approach worked politely during the struggle. There was a sense of nationhood among them, which became a quick window for mobilizing themselves to join the revolutionary war of independence. Our current leaders studied in integrated schools. Though its intention was contrary designed for South Sudanese social cohesion - the then government intended to provide minimal education in the Southern part of Sudan. Nevertheless, it still worked to unite their voices and gave them unity strength to champion the right of South Sudanese to be free; it could have been challenging to achieve our independence without integration.
There will be improved social tolerance and national cohesion among new generations from all corners of South Sudan if the government makes it a policy to blend school students in intermediate schools, High Schools, and Universities. Take students from Jonglei to all ten states, all Northern Bahr El Ghazal students to all states, Upper Nile students to all states, Western Equatoria to all states, Western Equatoria, Unity State, and so on. Mix them, and they will love themselves as one people under one nation. This will create a sense of national unity and eliminate tribal conflict if all children in upper schools are integrated. Also, the policy will break off the bad traditional practice that promotes cattle raiding by dismantling the concept of using age-group initiation to raid other communities as a prerequisite to manhood in certain societies that practice it. School integration will separate the new generation from the old age infested with a bad traditional practice that encourages violence instead of peaceful coexistence among communities.
Build and equip national integrated schools in 10 States. Building well-funded nationalized schools across the country with accommodation capacities is a worthwhile investment for the people of South Sudan. Building human resources has never been a disappointment. Human resource is the best resource the country can ever have to invent and innovate things. Nurturing great minds requires the government to facilitate a smooth and conducive environment accessible to all children of South Sudan. The government should become the front bearer to build mixed schools across the states, starting with intermediate schools, high schools, and universities.
Good Pay motivates civil servants; Train and pay teachers well to prepare for a new phase of school generation that will advance our country to the next level. Many good teachers are out there, but the government has to invest in capacity building to equip the teachers with the right tools to carry out their duties.
Teachers lead in shaping students through teaching to define their destiny and mold them to be good citizens of the country they can be proud of. The government does not need to carry a massive burden on everything, but it can facilitate, provide guidance, and fund education institutions to achieve educational responsibilities. Training and paying teachers is crucial to the success of the students and the country at large. So if the government really wanted to end these mentioned national problems, investing in education is significantly required.
********* With mass education policy, social cohesion would be cemented, while insecurity fueled by ethnic feuds and political differences would halt. There are areas in South Sudan now that have never seen under-tree types of schools, leave alone modern schools. Still, when the government invests in education, these areas will become part and parcel of development through education—never prioritize the country's major national projects without prioritizing education - avoid putting a horse carriage ahead of the horse. Investing in education will eliminate the country's compound crisis should the government make it one of its substantial policies. In the next 15 years, South Sudan will become a prosperous state regionally and globally.
The social violence engulfing our communities across the country is a serious problem and requires a thoughtful approach. Political means alone wouldn't resolve political instability in the country without an educational revolution. All tribes in South Sudan are thoroughly armed, and with a war mentality, they quickly result in arm conflict. Since 2005, thousands of people have lost lives through tribal conflict perpetuated by chronic cattle raiding, food insecurity, and ethnopolitical conflict sponsored by politicians to gain political positions in the government. Though the government verbally or falsely promises the people of South Sudan to disarm communities, disarmament will never end the continuation of insecurity in the country. But if the government wants to change the status quo of the insecurity phenomenon, Only education is a bright future that would improve things. The government's education social change will transform communities' and individuals' perceptions about the importance of a peaceful, united country. Suppose the government of South Sudan makes school integration a policy and implements it now. In that case, cattle raiding, ethnic conflicts, and political conflict will be rare in the next 15 years, for all kids that joined integrated schools would be in college and well informed not to be misled by anyone to fight other wars or senseless war cooked as tribal war. Individually they will understand the meaning of life and the benefit of a united, peaceful country. Throughout human transformation, education becomes the best device to bring forth better social change.
The education revolution in South Sudan is essential to the nation's well-being. South Sudan has fewer educated people in the world. After the comprehensive Peace Agreement that guaranteed South Sudanese 6 years of Self Rule before they voted for independence, the autonomous government failed to treat education seriously; sadly, this directly impacted the nation's progress. No country with an illiterate mass would be relatively peaceful, stable, and economically viable. Strong states' institutions and forms of government enjoy stability when the people of such a government are weaponized with education. Great minds of various schools of thought build strong pillars of government - the idea of a robust system principally embedded with the country's future in mind and making laws represent the people's will is attribution to mass education. Well-informed constituencies elect sensible leaders with people's interests at the perimeter of utmost reasoning. It is certain South Sudan's future lies in the mass education of its public. The government can declare war on illiteracy to stop instability in the country. Imagine from 2005 - 2020, a child who joined 1st grade would now complete college, and that child's future could have been brighter than being out of school. Transformation of one life through education economically, socially, and politically benefits the country.
For the government to execute national integration, schools must integrate students from different backgrounds into one educational family. The mixed schools bring students into a national yacht, allowing them to learn collectively and experience a school of thought under one national roof of social tolerance among themselves. Integrating schools erases harmful cultural practices from different tribal traditions and creates a new national cultural identity acceptable to all backgrounds. When students from various communities mix and study together, exchanging educational thoughts and intermingling socially, they see themselves through the lens of nationalism guided by principles of South Sudanism instead of their tribal affiliation and practices. Such a policy of integrating schools reduces community conflicts and erases the perception of Tribal affiliation. The people from integrated schools see what unites them instead of values disintegrating national cohesion. And often resolve issues as a family of one country as opposed to seeing themselves representing their tribal positions. School integration is the best framework for a pedagogy of erasure that discourages diversity in disgust in favor of what brings people together as one. Education helps students analyze issues, offer self-understanding to resolve problems in their capacity, and expose them to a global world of critical thinking and behaving citizens.
©April 2023