Speaking at the launch in Rumbur on Monday, Minister Kuyok Abol Kuyok emphasised that quality education cannot be achieved without adequate textbooks, highlighting their critical role in student success.
“We are on a very ambitious path to implementing a new national education system. These textbooks were reviewed by our teachers and printed with support from China. They are a vital part of our ambition to provide quality education,” he said.
“Today, we are distributing 1.6 million textbooks at the beginning of the academic year. We need a total of 11 million textbooks. In fact, we require even more than that, as secondary schools offer more subjects than primary schools,” Kuyok stated during the ceremony.
Noala Skinner, the country representative for the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), stated that supporting learners must go hand in hand with supporting teachers.
“When children have the right materials at their disposal in their classrooms, they have a much better chance of truly reaching their full potential,” Skinner remarked.
Skinner said that schools must be open, they need unfettered access, and they require peace.
“I would like to thank the Embassy of China, the Honourable Minister, the Ministry of General Education, and the Global Partnership for Education for their support.”
Ma Qiang, the Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy to South Sudan, explained that the textbooks are provided through Phase 2 of the China-Aided Technical Cooperation Project for Education in South Sudan.
“This is another milestone in the field of China-South Sudan educational cooperation. Education is the future of a nation and a beacon illuminating the path of humanity. It takes 10 years to grow a tree, but 100 years to nurture a generation,” Ma stated.
He also highlighted that the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Sudan has facilitated the construction of several schools and provided Chinese government scholarships to South Sudanese students.
“We have successfully implemented Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the China-Aided Technical Cooperation projects for education in South Sudan, delivering millions of carefully compiled primary and secondary school textbooks to Juba and training several hundred teachers in China,” he noted.
Ma affirmed that China is committed to the principles of sincerity, tangible results, and good faith, adding that China is dedicated to implementing the global development initiative, placing development at the centre of international cooperation.
“The distribution of these textbooks is particularly significant. It represents not only the transmission of knowledge and mutual understanding among civilisations but also a bridge connecting the hearts of the Chinese and South Sudanese people.”
The textbooks for English, Mathematics, and Science, from Primary Two to Primary Eight, were printed with support from China and distributed through the Global Partnership for Education in collaboration with UNICEF.
