Morobo County Records Low School Enrollment, Observers Blame Insecurity

  (MOROBO COUNTY)-Education authorities in South Sudan’s Morobo County say poor infrastructure and precarious waves of insecurity has negatively affected school enrollment and performance in the area over the last ten years after the outbreak of the conflict in 2016.     Morobo County education director Moses Wani said out of twenty two (22) primary schools and one secondary school, only few primary schools inside Morobo County are operational. He said most of the school infrastructure in the five Payams  including Kanyara secondary have been vandalized at the peak of the conflict.     He said over 7,000 learners who enrolled for primary  last year are finding it difficult to be in class due to limited classrooms, un trained volunteer teachers and broken school buildings in the county.     According to Wani, Morobo County has recorded low number of learners who reported to school this academic year. He said the county education department has embarked on massive education awareness campaign through radio talk shows to attract more pupils and students to return to school.     Wani is appealing to parents and guardians to send their children to school despite economic and other  challenges facing the area. He said the County education department is working hard to improve learning initiatives this year.     Wani  is calling on the government and education development partners to prioritize supporting education and learning programs in Morobo county.    

“Education plays an important role in the development of this country and for it to produce more productive human resource, there is need for support in terms of classrooms, scholastic materials, teachers training and timely salary payment”

    Observers and residents in Morobo County say the education sector in Morobo is at bad state due to ongoing insecurity poor infrastructure and lack of trained teachers.    

“The system is apparently about to fall apart, with more than half of the county schools not functional. Few available schools are run only with the help of volunteers and unqualified teachers” a local resident told the Borderline news agency.

    Insecurity and repeated violence led to internal displacements while others fled as refugees to the neighboring Uganda and DR Congo.