South Sudan signs agreement with AfDB to support education

The government of South Sudan today signed a $17.7 million agreement with the African Development Bank to support the education sector in the country. The agreement to be implemented by the UN children’s agency, UNICEF aims to increase access and quality of education in South Sudan. Addressing the press after signing the agreements, UNICEF’s representative Mohamed Ag Ayoya said the project will benefit both teachers and learners. “We are going to rehabilitate two institutes that train teachers in this country and about 2,000 teachers are going to benefit from that aspect of the project,” he said. Ayoya also noted that the project will facilitate the construction of schools in areas badly affected by the conflict in the country, adding that learners will also receive learning materials. “The second is rehabilitating or constructing 35 schools particularly in Jonglei and Upper Nile, where, as we know the access to education has been very much constrained. The third aspect of the project is helping us to provide more supplies, more textbooks to the children throughout South Sudan,” he added. The UNICEF representative said the project will support the government’s effort to restore peace. Ayoya said, “As we know education is the foundation for peace, getting children to go to school, getting teachers to be happy about their job, to be motivated is extremely important at this stage of South Sudan development especially through the focus on peace and rebuilding the country.” The agreement was signed by the minister of higher education Yen Oral, Benedict Sorie Kanu of the African Development Bank and UNICEF’s representative Mohamed Ag Ayoya.