Unity State to recruit 30 science teachers
By Bonifacio Taban Kuich
August 13, 2013 (BENTIU) – Unity State has advertised 30 vacancies for science teachers who upon recruitment will be deployed in the nine counties in the state.
Last month the council of state ministers passed a budget to recruit more science teachers.
The state Ministry of education says the vacancies will be filled within a period of three weeks.
Dr Choryeer Koryom, a senior Inspector for secondary education schools in Unity State, said the positions are open to South Sudanese nationals but foreigners will be considered if the required number of South Sudanese teachers is not got.
“We have advertised twice for only South Sudanese teachers from different states. They have the priority to be recruited. If we don’t fill the 30 teachers that we want to be recruited, we can communicate to other foreigners to help us because it is really a very challenging situation”, said Dr Choryeer Koryom.
Koryom said the recruitment of more teachers was a request by the former minister to the state council of ministers.
Due to low payment by the South Sudan government many qualified teachers have been forced to seek better paying jobs and abandon their profession.
Nyakume Peter Gatkuoth a third year student of biology blamed the inadequate number of teachers on the poor pay.
“There is a lack of teachers because teachers are not paid well as such they go searching for organisations that pay better’’, said Nyakume Peter Gatkuoth
Gatkuoth said besides the lack of teachers, the unavailability of laboratory equipment is also a challenge for science students.
Bol Thow who has worked as a Chemistry teacher for five years in Bentiu welcomed the news of the recruitment of more teachers.
“If they have decided now to employ more science teachers, it is the positive decision that they have taken for us, here we can say that our reaction toward that decision is excellent, is positive, we are wishing them to implement what they have said, not just by saying it in media but we want to see this one being implement on ground”, said Thow.
Thow called on the government to increase payment for teachers so as to retain them in the profession.
“We have good number of science graduate teachers who are working in companies and organizations because they are getting good payment. If teachers in the schools are being paid the same amount as the organisations and companies then I don’t see any reason why they will leave’’, added Thow.
South Sudan’s education system is still weak. Many South Sudanese prefer to go school in neighbouring East Africa countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania which have relatively better educations systems compared to South Sudan.
(ST)