South Sudan revokes decision banning students from SPLM-IO areas from exams

JUBA – South Sudan government has announced that it has reconsidered its decision banning students in opposition controlled areas of Jonglei state from taking national primary eight examinations, after the move sparked outrage among opposition groups and diplomatic missions in the country.

Last week, the  ministry of education and instruction said it was exempting students in opposition controlled parts of Jonglei from national exams because of security threats that it said the government had unsuccessfully tried to address and that undermines the integrity of the examinations  and the security of administrators of exams.

Speaking during office commencement of the 2021 primary eight examination at Atlabara West Primary School in Juba on Monday, Vice-president for Services Cluster Hussein Abdelbaggi said the government will set a new date for national exams in seven opposition-controlled counties in Jonglei state after examinations across the country began on Monday.

“There are some of your colleagues. We could not deliver the examinations to them due to insecurity but we are hopeful after you are done within this week and next week, we will find every possible means to reschedule exams to your colleague who missed to sit with you,” Hussein said.

“What I want to tell you is that we were once pupils like you. If you come for exams on the first day, you will think that a new day has come and even the sun will look different but it is just examination fever.

“I want you to go to your classes and put what you learned during these days in the examination paper and I wish pupils in Atlabara Primary School and other schools succeed in their exams and do well by getting 80 percent out of 100 percent in South Sudan.”