Civil Society Calls for Equal Access to Ethiopian Scholarships for all South Sudanese

(JUBA COUNTY) – The Center for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) has urged South Sudan’s Ministry of Higher Education to guarantee fairness and transparency in the selection of South Sudanese students for scholarship opportunities recently announced by Ethiopian universities.

The scholarships are intended to benefit South Sudanese citizens pursuing higher education abroad. They represent a valuable chance for young people in a country where access to quality tertiary education remains limited and often unaffordable.

Concerns have previously been raised about irregularities in the awarding of government sponsored scholarships, with allegations of favouritism and bias leaving many qualified applicants excluded.

In a statement issued in Juba on Wednesday, Ter Manyang, the executive director of CPA, said education must be treated as a right for every young person in South Sudan, stressing that merit and regional balance should guide the selection.

“We are calling on the Ministry to avoid any form of bias or corruption. Every eligible student, regardless of background, deserves a fair chance. – Mr Manyang”

He warned that a lack of fairness in the process would undermine public confidence and could deny deserving students access to life changing opportunities. He further appealed to civil society groups, student associations and the media to closely monitor the scholarship allocation.

Applications for the Ethiopian scholarships are already open, and the selection process is expected to start soon. Details on the number of scholarships available have not yet been disclosed, but CPA stressed that transparency from the outset would be key to maintaining public trust.

For many South Sudanese families, opportunities like this can make the difference between pursuing higher education or not.  Typical costs for South Sudanese students studying in neighbouring countries such as Ethiopia or Uganda are prohibitive without scholarships.

Scholarships remain one of the few viable routes for many South Sudanese students to obtain degrees abroad.

The Ministry of Higher Education has yet to issue a detailed guideline on how the selection will be conducted. Stakeholders say that a clear process will help to avoid disputes that have marred previous programmes.

Mr Manyang concluded his statement by urging the government to view the scholarship programme not only as an educational opportunity, but also as an investment in South Sudan’s future workforce.