Education ministry launches ‘Back to Learning initiative’ in Yambio
May 9, 2016 (YAMBIO) – The education ministry in South Sudan’s Western Equatoria region with support from the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) have celebrated the first anniversary of the ‘Back to Learning Initiative’, launched in the young nation in 2015.
UNICEF’s education manager for South Sudan, Tizy Mapalala said the education campaign aims at improving school enrollments as well as retain children in schools.
The Back to Learning program, launched in Yambio county, is part of the initiative by the government of South Sudan supported by UNICEF and other partners to bring 400,000 children to the schools.
The initiative is also designed to train 4,000 teachers and support 1,500 Parent and teachers Associations to own and manage the education of their children across the Republic of South Sudan. The occasion was graced by several schools, parents and Government Officials to deliver speeches and encourage children to go to school.
The pupils presented songs poems drama to communicate the importance of education and encouragement to the parents and everyone to go back to learning.
The representative of national Ministry of Education Ester Okumu said, education is the only way to achieve people in the Country and realize development adding that back to learning is very important for better future of the new Country South Sudan.
“Education is like an egg, if we don’t hold it well it means that this state will not be able to proceed. Without education there will be development, without education there will be peace and no one will progress in live.” Okumu added.
The education minister in the state, Pia Philip said children should be given an opportunity to go to schools and take their lessons in this peaceful environment.
He described the launch of the program as a milestone for the people of Western Equatoria because it will encourage parents to send their children to school, hence ensure that development partners come-up to support education in the state.
The acting state governor, Edward Victor Kpiawandu said government has in place a policy to see into it that all the citizens go to school and the government will do all the necessary efforts to build schools and create a conducive environment for learning.
“The main aim of this government is now and in the future is we jointly provide avail access to learning to our children and everybody to go back to school,” he stressed.
(ST)