South Sudan recalls students on scholarship in Zimbabwe

January 24, 2018 (JUBA) – The South Sudanese government has decided to recall some of the students on scholarship to Zimbabwe following a resolution made by its council of ministers during a meeting held in the first of week of January this year.

“On its sitting of January 5th, 2018, council of ministers directed Hon. Minister of finance and planning to settle students’ financial claims immediately,” partly reads a letter Sudan Tribune obtained.

It added, “Students who are graduating in September 2018 will be allowed to continue with studies, others will be brought home. The Hon. Minister of finance will provide the tickets”.

The letter, written in the wake of students’ strikes, was addressed to Atem Kuir Jok, the education and cultural attaché at South Sudan’s embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The education official at the embassy was ordered to urgently prepare the two separate lists of student graduating in September 2018 and all those who are not graduating in September 2018, but no reasons were given for such a decision.

Prof. Bol Deng Chol, the undersecretary at the higher education ministry signed the letter.

Last year, South Sudanese students in Zimbabwe went to their embassy in Harare where they camped for several weeks in protest over delayed allowances. The protest was lifted after the council of ministers, through the minister of higher education, promised to pay their allowances which was delayed for several months, forcing students to stage the protest after months of futile private communications.

(ST)