South Sudan’s children tell us: “We want to learn – even during war”

Thursday, August 6, 2015

LEADING humanitarian agencies have called for a greater commitment to education in war-torn South Sudan, in a report finding that since the outbreak of violence about 400,000 school-aged children have dropped out of school and 70 per cent of the schools in the conflict-affected states have closed.

The report, by World Vision, Care, Save the Children and INTERSOS, urges the government of South Sudan, donors, and humanitarian agencies “to re-evaluate their priorities and recognise children’s demand for education must be more adequately supported as an essential and lifesaving aspect of emergency humanitarian interventions”.

At present, only 2 per cent of humanitarian funding for the South Sudan emergency is devoted to education, which the agencies say is inadequate to meet the need.

World Vision Australia head of Humanitarian Affairs, Anthea Spinks, said that in a country where 60 per cent of the population was under the age of 18, education would be critical to rebuilding one of the world’s youngest nations and years of education lost during the crisis would not be easily replaced.

“In this report, South Sudan’s children and their parents have told us in the clearest terms that education is not only essential in its own right, but also gives hope for a better future,” Ms Spinks said.

Based on interviews with children, parents, teachers and community leaders, the inter-agency report found a high demand for education, which was given as much priority as shelter, food, water and healthcare.

The agencies have called for the South Sudan government and other parties to the conflict to ensure humanitarian access to support displaced and conflict-affected children, provide them with education, and ensure that schools, teachers and children are protected from attack.

In the capital, Juba, a father told researchers, “Education cannot wait”. At Bor town, a mother said, “Our children are competing with time. If we leave them, they will grow up without education and a good future. We don’t know how long the war will take, so we need to make sure they are at least in school”. At Mahad, a 10-year -old boy said, “We want to learn – even during war”.

Violence erupted in South Sudan in December 2013. It is estimated that 2.2 million people are now displaced within South Sudan and neighbouring countries. About half of those displaced are children. In addition, 4.6 million people are severely food insecure, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as famine begins to take hold and the country is battling a cholera outbreak.

Before December 2013, South Sudan’s education system had serious challenges, with a lack of schools and trained teachers, over-crowded classrooms and disproportionately low enrolments for girls, but was improving. In 2012, the World Bank estimated that 60 percent of thirteen year-olds reported attending formal schools - an increase of 50 percent from a decade earlier.

For interview, please contact: Stuart Rintoul, 0407 241 492

Media Releases, Anthea Spinks, Education, South Sudan

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