[OPINION] – Senior Four Exam Fees Challenge Presidential Decree on Free Education

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN

Subject: Concern Over Imposed Senior Four Examination Fees

Your Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit,
President of the Republic of South Sudan and Commander-in-Chief of All Organised Forces,

On 6 February 2023, you declared that education in all public schools would be free. This decision was widely welcomed as a major step towards fulfilling the Transitional Constitution of South Sudan, 2011 (as amended), Article 29(2), which states that “Every child has the right to free and compulsory education at the primary level.”

The General Education Act, 2012, Section 6(1), further confirms that education is the right of every child and obliges the Government to ensure accessible and affordable learning for all.

However, I wish to express deep concern over a recent directive from the Ministry of General Education and Instruction requiring Senior Four candidates to pay:

+ 200,000 SSP in public schools

+ 220,000 SSP in private schools

The deadline set is 1 October 2025, and those who fail to pay will be barred from sitting their examinations.

Your Excellency, this directive stands in direct conflict with your free education policy and contradicts the spirit of both the Constitution and the General Education Act. At a time when many households are already struggling under severe economic pressure, such fees will deny thousands of learners their constitutional right to education.

I humbly appeal for your immediate intervention to ensure that no child is prevented from sitting examinations due to financial constraints. Education is the foundation of South Sudan’s future, and your continued leadership is vital in protecting that future.

Respectfully,
Mr Muto Lo’Buda Wata
Concerned Citizen

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