A three-day consultative conference is underway in Juba to help finds ways of providing inclusive, equitable and quality education in the country, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.
The consultation that brings together government officials, development partners, civil society, the academia, and UN agencies, is expected to identify priorities and opportunities for policy development (from early childhood development to tertiary education), including skills development and technical vocational education and training (TVET).
The meeting will go a long way in helping to bridge the inequalities that currently exist in the education sector. According to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), South Sudan has the worst indicators for girls' education in the world. Not only are girls less likely to enter school, they are also more likely to drop out compared to boys.
In a report released earlier, the World Bank estimated that only seven girls for every ten boys attend primary education, while five girls for every ten boys are enrolled in secondary education. In 2013, only 500 girls were in the last grade of secondary school in the whole country.
A report by the World Bank, ‘Education in the Republic of South Sudan: Status and Challenges for a New System’, said the challenges facing education include bringing down the 60% dropout rate in lower primary school; and improving the quality of learning. Overcrowded primary classrooms are also a serious problem.
These disparities have led to low literacy levels among girls, among other issues. Literacy rates for girls are 40%, compared to 60% for boys. The meeting is expected to come up with solutions to some of the challenges bedeviling the education sector.
Sustainable Development Goal 4 is one of the 17 SDGs adopted in 2015 to replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Besides ensuring inclusivity and equitability, it aims to ensure that by 2030, all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
The feedback from the meeting will be presented at a regional consultation to be held among countries in Eastern Africa region, including Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) organized the 3-day meeting in partnership with UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR and UN Women.