Corrected: John Garang University signs collaboration agreement with US Universities

Corrects John Garang University instead of Institute

June 15, 2010 (BOR) – John Garang’s learning University for science and technology in Jonglei state has signed a collaboration agreement with a number of American universities in the area of sharing expertise.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Bor town by the University and Khartoum University with the University of New York and A&M University in Texas. Other two universities of Iowa and Michigan were listed as willing members of the consortium and were represented by non-active staff during the meeting.

The American universities would share expertise in the areas of training and research as well as conduct students exchange visits with the two Sudanese higher learning institutions. The training and research will be on fish conservation, dairy production, environmental studies, water management and cereal crops production and management.

Established after formation of the Government of Southern Sudan about four years ago, Dr. John Garang University of Science and Technology, though facing difficulties, was upgraded to the level of university during elections campaigns promises by President Omer Hassan el-Bashir.

Prof. Agrey A. Majok of Dr. John Garang Memorial University, signed on behalf of the Institute, Joseph King of Texas’s A&M University signed on behalf of the university while Prof. Kamal Mohamed signed on behalf of University of New York.

Local and international participants hailed the agreement as a milestone that paves the way for a memorandum of understanding to be reached by the collaboration partners in the near future.

Jonglei state governor, Kuol Manyang Juuk, welcomed the agreement and urged the academicians to utilize the “untapped resources” in his state’s populous and vast, but underdeveloped area “in order to answer specific questions of economic concerns.”

He further praised the Vice Chancellor of Dr. John Garang Memorial University, Prof. Agrey Ayuen Majok, for the success of the agreement, which he said, was a fruit of his last year’s visit to the US.

Prof. Ayuen revealed to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday that the collaboration agreement will open the door for further separate talks between Dr. John Garang Memorial University and some other US universities to finalize their respective memorandum of understanding.

“Each of the American Universities, based on this agreement we have signed today, will then have a memorandum of understanding with Dr. John Memorial University of Science and Technology and thereafter we will begin the process of implementations,” he said.

(ST)