Teachers Leaving Classrooms as Economic Hardships Hit Yei Schools

(YEI RIVER COUNTY) – Education authorities in Yei River County say poor motivation and the worsening economic situation have forced many teachers to leave the profession, contributing to a growing shortage of educators in schools across the county.

The concern follows reports from community leaders in Pokula Boma that a lack of teachers is affecting children’s access to education and contributing to increased school dropouts and early marriages among girls.

Earlier this week, Pokula Boma Executive Chief Sebit Felix Alfred told Access Radio that the area has only volunteer teachers, most of whom have reached Primary Six level, teaching in three classrooms without pay.

The chief appealed to county and state authorities to intervene and address the shortage of qualified teachers in the area.

Responding to the concerns on Friday, Yei River County Director of Education Philip Taban Issa said the shortage of teachers and scholastic materials is a widespread challenge affecting primary schools throughout the county.

He explained that most schools now rely on volunteer teachers as many trained educators have left the profession due to difficult economic conditions.

“Most of the schools are now depending on volunteers and the proper teachers have deserted the profession and we are not able to deploy or transfer teachers to the schools. We are appealing to partners to support teacher training, especially for volunteer teachers, and currently the issue of salary payment is a big challenge,” Taban said.

Education authorities are urging development partners and relevant government institutions to support teacher training programmes and address salary challenges to improve learning conditions across Yei River County.