[child-rights] Southern Sudan's 'Go To School' campaign aims at education for all
HREA
JUBA, 31 March 2009 - Southern Sudan will tomorrow mark the fourth
anniversary of the ‘Go To School’ initiative as the school
gates open on 1 April, the first day of the new school year in Southern
Sudan.
The Initiative, launched on 1 April 2006, is led by the
Government of Southern Sudan’s Ministry of Education, Science and
Technology and aims to raise primary school enrolment levels to over two
million. Significant progress has since been achieved with total enrolment
currently at approximately 1.6 million, up sharply from an estimated
343,000 at the end of the war.
As the initiative moves into its
fourth year, the Ministry of Education, UNICEF and partners are committed
to Education For All (EFA). The Minister of Education of the Government of
Southern Sudan, His Excellency Job Dhoruai said: “The commitment of
the Government of Southern Sudan and our partners offers us the strength to
build a comprehensive education system that offers learning to all children
who are the future of Southern Sudan.”
Millions of school
bags, books, pencils and other essential teaching and learning materials
have been distributed by truck, boat and even on foot for communities that
are often remote, with limited access.
Speaking ahead of the
fourth anniversary commemoration, the Director of Operations for
UNICEF’s Southern Sudan Area Programme, Peter Crowley underlined the
importance of education as a driving tool for Southern Sudan’s
development. “Today, there is no more important priority than to
enable the current generation of children to fully develop their talents
and skills, so they can help put an end to the poverty and suffering that
have afflicted Southern Sudan for so long, and build a better future for
all,” said Mr. Crowley.
“Investing in the education
of the children of Southern Sudan is the single most effective way of
ensuring - and sustaining - the peace, stability and development that are
promised by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,” he added.
Of the 1.6 million children now in school in Southern Sudan, 36 per cent
are girls, a significant increase over the war years, when less than one
per cent of girls completed their primary education.
An
assessment of learning spaces conducted in 2006 showed that of the 2,922
schools in Southern Sudan, only 16 per cent had permanent buildings; in
addition to promoting enrolment, UNICEF has supported the Government of
Southern Sudan in developing permanent classrooms and rehabilitating
existing ones.
UNICEF has also supported the training of
teachers in Southern Sudan, providing assistance to the development and
implementation of an English-language based curriculum as well as ongoing
intensive English language courses for teachers.
The 'Go To
School' Initiative is supported by a number of donors, including the
governments of Denmark, Ireland, Japan and the Netherlands as well as
UNICEF National Committees in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
UNICEF Press release
HREA - www.hrea.org
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports human rights learning; the training of activists and professionals; the development of educational materials and programming; and community-building through on-line technologies.
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