Rumbek Secondary school students threaten to go on strike over congestion
By Manyang Mayom
June 18, 2010 (RUMBEK) – Students at Rumbek Senior Secondary School in Lakes state have threatened to go on strike over congestion at the school, prompting critical response by the state authority. Their grievances include overcrowding in class rooms, lack of enough teachers and insufficient food ration.
The recently elected governor of Lakes state, Engineer Chol Tong Mayay, sympathized with the students in the overcrowding situation at the school, but urged for calm as he looked for solutions to their concerns. He called it a “silly mistake” to have admitted a huge number of students in one school without considering the school’s capability in the first place.
Tong who spoke to the press in his office on Thursday soon after his arrival from Juba, said that a school making admissions has to know its capacity and only admit students it can accommodate. This is not only about the learning space, but most importantly the number of teachers and availability of food.
The governor however said the state government will intervene and support the teachers who will be taking evening classes, adding that his government was caught up in the matter and cannot “jump out of it”.
He said he had earlier met with the Headmaster of the School and the Director General of the Ministry of Education immediately after he took oath of office as Lakes State governor. He said it was regrettable that the school administration had admitted more students than it could realistically take in.
The governor also urged Lakes state general public to keep calm and maintain security in their respective grassroots level.
He also urged community members to embark on cultivation and to keep animals away from cultivated farmlands, saying that food security is very important to be protected from now onward in Lakes state. The governor also urged people in Lakes state to be ready for the referendum, adding that registration will kick off soon.
In related news, Chol also spoke during the Rift Valley Institute course dinner held at palm tree hotel, highlighting the importance of the “Girl child education.”
He also expressed financial concerns, saying the outgoing cabinet has huge loans that it took from the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) that need payback to finance ministry in Juba.
“Lakes state’s wrong image from 2005 to 2009 or before is now changing going into good face of peaceful world atmosphere. We are now coming as peaceful society and most democrat society since harsh attitudes are brought to silent through this election held in April by electing all Lakes state parliamentarians and me as governor, “ he said.
(ST)
Dinka Boy
Rumbek Secondary school students threaten to go on strike over congestion
The Rumbek faculties and administratives should have known the capacity of the classrooms before admitting students. The adminstration would have known the number of teachers ,the class size ,and other requirments before accepting students. They have to create some classrooms since they had accepted students in that larger capacities. They government of Lake States should work harder to hire capable teachers as well to that School.
I also would like to advise those students that the strike or demonstration must be peaceful and this way the school will understand your needs.
Apparently, the governor of Lake State response fundamentally to this situation.
Thanks Governor Chol Tong
Mou Magok
Rumbek Secondary school students threaten to go on strike over congestion
Dear Students,
Just calm down your alarm voices have been heard by the State government hence, wait for the solution instead of destruction like the one of 2008 will not repeat itself in Lakes.
The government should not blame the school administration so much because every one needs to glook for study therefore, should the administration say no room then the one who was told to leave may interprete it differently as an ignorance.
Thus, this needs government participation both State and GoSS levels because secondary school is very big, it needs good nutritions and good environment.
No blame there, we all need Education.
Thank you all,
Yirol boy