South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The government has introduced Arabic language for primary 5 to 8 learners while Islamic religious education will be optional for secondary school learners.
Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, Vice President for Service Cluster said during the launching ceremony held in Juba on Thursday, Islamic religious studies will be taught from primary one to senior four for Muslim children only.
“The introduction of Arabic language and Islamic religious education will greatly contribute to full implementation of curriculum aspiration, ensuring that our learners receive well rounded education that equips them with necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the ever changing the world,” Abdelbagi said.
Abdelbagi urged the teachers to utilize the newly introduced Arabic language and Islamic religious studies textbooks, to provide the learners with holistic education that encompasses both traditional subjects and rich cultural heritage.
“The Introduction of Arabic language and Islamic religious education into our education curriculum is a remarkable step toward a more comprehensive and inclusive education system,” he disclosed.
Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education and Instruction said the country is multi-ethnic and multilingual, that compels it to embrace its cultures and languages.
“I would like to say that the Ministry of General Education is working hard to ensure that we have an inclusive curriculum, that should foster transformation of our society to become more cohesive and united,” Deng said.
Ahmed Ibrahim, Acting Country Director of Save the Children in South Sudan urged the South Sudanese to embrace education to foster change.
“If you want to change the future of South Sudan in general, we can change it through education and I am really happy that the government of South Sudan do have that feeling in their hearts,” Ibrahim said.
Dr. Ador Riak Nyiel, the Coordinator for the National Education Coalition (NEC) called on the government to train teachers on the newly introduced subjects.
“We need to refocus our energy to train teachers that are going to deliver these textbooks to our children. I am aware that the training we are doing could be short courses that may not be in depth, so we need to rethink how we train, especially the Arabic subjects that are going to be enrolled out,” Riak said.
The Ministry of General Education and Instruction will distribute 2.5 million textbooks to primary and secondary schools across the country.
According to the constitution, English is the official language of South Sudan and it is the language of instruction as per the Education Act and Arabic is the second official language for instruction.
