Parents lack confidence in safety of schools in Rumbek Central County
By Manyang Mayom
April 18, 2009 (RUMBEK) – Insecurity prevailing in Lakes state has swayed parents to prevent their children for going to school in a rural area, said teacher Chol Mangeth of Amongping payam.
Rumbek Central County has been hit by inter-clan disputing and power struggling since a reshuffling pushed by the government of Southern Sudan, said an official who preferred not to be named.
“The recent dispute between sub-clans of Panyon tribes by themselves had led students to stay at odds and feel unsafe fearing revenge from their fellow tribesmen and indeed a vast number of pupils have gone to Rumbek town school for study while this village school has become powerless,” elucidated Mangeth.
Since creation, three Payams of Rumbek Central County have had no schools built with concrete, though three are now under construction: one is in Matagai payam with 8 classroms, another in Amonyping payam with 6 classrooms as well as 4 offices, and the third one is a big meeting hall at Jier payam, said an SPLM official.
Rumbek has only one big famous senior secondary school serving Lakes state plus a few new secondary schools recently opened after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2005. Those new schools are Pankar, Mapuordit and Comboni missionary secondary school for girls on the way to Western Bhar-El-Gazal state.
As April 4 marked the officially opening of primary schools in Lakes state, teachers were demanding payment before taking up chalk to teach children, said a Lakes state local chief on Wednesday.
“We are using senior secondary school students to teach at primary levels and yet there is no payment done to them by local authority; these youth are concerned to get better education but insecurity does not allow children to perform well in their classes because both teachers are from the local tribe of which brothers are confronting each other at the cattle camp and children are from both local tribes,” said the chief.
The Commissioner of Rumbek central county, Abraham Makoi Bol Kodi, seemed proud of his performance in constructing primary schools during his period as commissioner. He is the fourth commissioner for Rumbek Central County since the 2005 peace agreement, following Paul Macuei Malok, Isaac Makur Buoc and Martin Kau Nak.
He noted the county’s history of having hosted the administration of the SPLM/A — including the National Liberation council, a political wing of elders that held sway until SPLM became the ruling party of the official government of Southern Sudan.
Kodi is using local taxation revenue to boost construction for three primary schools which will also host administrative offices.
“We would have done wonderful things if we had had a budget for development from the state government,” Kodi said.
The county has 6 Payams that include Jier, Matagai, Malek, Mayom, Amongping and Rumbek town payam, which together have 42 primary schools. County education enrolment in 2008 was 1,496 pupils.
(ST)
makuach
where is GoSS and why is this happening?
our people, I was very confused when i heard this.
our insecurity why don,t we grow our seed.
i mean why do we leave our children to go to school.
GOSS where are you when all these thing happen with you there? That is why I said our goverment is walking backwards. In other countries education is very important but what is wrong with sudan Rumbek goverment. I am very disapionted about this. Again our parents, why do we send our children to other countries to get learning.
Our teachers, i know you have rights but help our children with your skills. There is alot of monrey in Rumbek but where do you teachers get this money. There is animanl people in goverment. See, if the goverment is the right goverment, why don’t they build hospital and schools. you animanl in goverment, give the teachers half of your money to build schools and hopitals.
THANK YOU.
YEAR 10 BOY