Over 500 students in Unity State’s Panyijiar County to miss national exams

JUBA – At least 536 students from Panyijiar County in Unity State will be unable to participate in this year’s national examinations due to the withdrawal of examination papers by the national ministry of general education and instruction on short notice.

Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday, Unity State minister of general education Stephen Tot Chieng said of the affected students, 466 were scheduled to sit for the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) while the remaining 70 were registered for the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE).

The national ministry had announced that the PLE for 2023 would commence on Monday, November 20, 2023, and conclude on Friday, November 24, 2023. The Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) exams were scheduled to run from December 4 to December 14, 2023.

Hon. Chieng confirmed the withdrawal of examination papers for both the PLE and CSE by the national ministry, stating that the affected students had been informed of the situation and advised to either travel to Leer or Bentiu to take the exams or miss the examinations altogether.

Minister Tot expressed concern about the short notice given by the national ministry, stating that they should have been informed at least two to three months in advance to allow for adequate preparation and transportation arrangements for the affected students.

The senior state government official further appealed to the presidency in Juba to intervene and address the challenges preventing Panyijiar County students from taking the national examinations.

“We appeal to the presidential office to address the challenges that are preventing our students in Panyijiar County from taking the national examinations,” Tot said.

The minister also raised suspicions about possible irregularities that may have led to the withdrawal of examination papers. He alluded to an incident last year when a center in Panyijiar County was accused by the national ministry of receiving examination papers before the scheduled date.

“This is not the first time for Panyijiar County to have such cases,” Tot remarked. “Last year, 24 students from senior four in Panyijiar were unable to sit for the exams. Even in Unity State as a whole, 214 students missed the primary eight examinations in the 2022-2023 academic year.”