School cash transfer for girls to resume after festive season

By Awan Achiek

The Girls Education in South Sudan (GESS) has halted payment of cash transfers to school children due to the upcoming Christmas holidays.

“We would like to inform the public that the GESS cash transfer process will be put on hold by the end of this week for the Christmas holidays,” GESS said in a statement seen by Dawn on Tuesday. 

It said the girls who have not yet received the money will do so once schools reopen in February for Academic Year 2024.  

“All girls who have not been paid yet must keep their cash transfer enrolment forms safe and have it on their person on the payment day,”   it said.

It explained that the cash transfers are given to schoolgirls from Primary 5-8 as well as Secondary from 1-4.

It added that the money is intended to lessen the financial burden of education on families and to allow girls to purchase education enabling items. 

November 3, 2023, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction announced that about 425,000 school girls across the country will receive cash transfer funds provided by the government and its partners.

The Girls Education South Sudan (GESS) cash transfer is a project that aims to promote girls’ education in the country.

It is projected to cost at least SSP12 million paid to primary and secondary school girls who are regularly attending classes.

The cash transfers program for schoolgirls is run by Girls Education South Sudan with funding from the UK, Canada, EU, USAID, Sweden and Norway.