Jonglei government closes school, detains students over strike

By Philip Thon Aleu

April 3, 2008 (BOR, Jonglei) – State authorities have closed the only full English secondary school in Bor town and detained eleven students for striking two weeks ago.

Nile Progressive Secondary School was closed by State Director general for high education Abel Manyuon, following a misunderstanding between his ministry and students body over class room allocation.

“Till April 10 or any further notice, this school is closed,” Mr. Manyuon declared on March 17 2008 at the school.

The students, at Bor Police station, told Sudan Tribune on Monday March 31 that “the strike was exaggerated” and now being “detained longer than expected.”

“Why should you close school for one class problem?” the students demanded.

The students accused the authorities of not doing enough to solve what they labeled ‘simple problems’. “They (authorities) refused to give us a class room to learn in and continuously tells us to be patient,” a student who requested unnamed told Sudan Tribune at the prison.

The school operates at Bor Secondary school’s premises alongside Malek SS. Classes are thus distributed according to the number of students rather than the three schools’ tittles hence, complicating matters pertaining different language learners (Arabic and English).

Ministry of Education issued a decree following students’ poor behaviors. “How can you break the store and carry out property without anyone’s notice!” an official from education ministry wondered. The students forcefully broke into a class room, turned a store by the state authorities, demanding being their class room.

Nile Progressive SS lost senior students last year (2007) due to lack of class room. Those from able families went to East Africa for studies while the ‘poor one’ stayed back home.

Police says they are interrogating both the students and the Education Ministry officials on “matters concerning the strike and school’s closure and positive outcome are greatly expected”.

(ST)