South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Mayak Majak Madit Tokjok
The Minister of General Education and Instruction in Lakes State Nelson Makoi Makur has officially opened a new phase of the Accelerated Secondary Education Programme (ASEP) training, aimed at equipping teachers with skills to improve learning outcomes across the state.
Speaking during the opening of the training, Minister Makur stated that the government of Lakes State, together with its education partners and the government of South Sudan, is fully behind this initiative.
He applauded the national government, particularly Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok, the National Minister for General Education and Instruction, for bringing forward this crucial programme for teachers.
“The purpose of this programme—in fact, the ASEP—is to ensure we have well-qualified teachers who will then be eligible to teach in primary schools,” Makur stated.
He also stressed that this programme is designed for those who dropped out and did not complete their secondary education. The government introduced this initiative to encourage teachers who have not yet attained the required qualifications to teach in primary schools.
“This is very important, and it is going to continue. Education managers are very content with the role played by partners, especially the Africa Educational Trust, for spearheading these programmes,” he added.
The state has extended its profound gratitude to donors and the people supporting the citizens of South Sudan. Makur emphasised that Lakes State already has qualified secondary school teachers who can facilitate the ASEP programme. He explained that this is part of human resource and capacity building for the country.
According to the Education Act, a person who has not completed secondary school is not qualified to teach in primary school. To be a primary school teacher, one must have at least a secondary school certificate, while the minimum qualification for teaching in secondary school is a diploma or degree.
“This programme will expand to many people across the country, particularly in Lakes State, and will benefit young people who dropped out of school for one reason or another. It will improve their capabilities, enable them to access better livelihoods, refresh their skills, and promote human resource development through knowledge and qualifications,” Makur concluded.
On his part, Ustaz Samuel Dem Marier, Director General for the Alternative Education System at the National Ministry of General Education, said that the Accelerated Education Programme did not come by chance but is a long-term plan.
“It provides a good opportunity for teachers to obtain the country’s minimum qualification, which is a secondary school certificate. With assessments carried out by our partners, especially UNICEF, it was found that about 24,000 teachers in South Sudan are unqualified. This is a big challenge for the Ministry of General Education, but it also gave us an opportunity to establish this programme,” he said.
Marier explained that the programme is being implemented in a formal way by condensing the curriculum. What would normally take four years has been reduced to two years for teachers.
“We start with Level 5 and then Level 6, which is equivalent to Senior Four. Immediately, the successful candidates can transition either to universities or teacher training institutions. That is the purpose of this programme, which is now opening new opportunities for teachers,” he added.
He further confirmed to participants during the opening remarks that the programme will, in the future, also be extended to secondary school dropouts, though not to those still in the system. “Those who dropped out from Senior Two or Senior Four for one reason or another are encouraged to join this programme so that they can obtain their secondary qualification,” Marier stated.
He affirmed that the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, at both the national and state levels, is committed to ensuring full implementation of this programme.
He thanked partners and donors for funding the initiative, noting that the programme was established based on data collected by UNICEF. Currently, the Accelerated Secondary Education Programme is operating in Western Equatoria, Jonglei, and Lakes State through the African Educational Trust.
Marier also mentioned that the Ministry had previously worked with the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) programme, which has vast experience in the country.
“GESS has provided funding, and through this support, we were able to establish four more centres across the nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Country Director for Street Children/African Educational Trust, Mr. Alier Samuel Majak, praised the programme, describing it as highly impactful.
“We are equally very thankful to our donors for supporting teacher capacity-building initiatives. We are deeply grateful and hope that this funding will not be in vain. It has already proven successful, as many graduates of this programme are now at universities pursuing education-related courses,” Majak concluded.
