Students demand the reopening of Upper Nile University

JUBA – Students at South Sudan’s Upper Nile University are demanding the reopening of the university, which has been closed for eight months.

“We are expressing our frustration over the delayed reopening of the university. We gather here today to demand the immediate reopening of our university, which has been closed for eight months,” said Samuel Malith Bol, the guild president of the Upper Nile University Student Union (UNU-SU), during a press conference in Juba on Friday.

He expressed serious concerns regarding the prolonged closure of Upper Nile University, saying that it has denied students their right to an education and hampered their ability to advance personally and in the future.

“We firmly believe that education is a fundamental right, and we call upon the Vice Chancellor and the Upper Nile University Council Chairperson to reopen the university by 17th February 2025.”

He revealed that the ongoing delay in reopening the university is linked to the industrial action enforced by the academic staff, who are demanding payment of their arrears.

“We urge the Minister of Finance and Planning, Hon. Dr. Marial Dongrin Ater, and Hon. Gabriel Changson Chang, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, to settle the financial arrears of Upper Nile University teaching staff. This is crucial to lifting the industrial action enforced by the academic staff, which has persisted for the last eight months.”

He said that the vice chancellors delay in reopening the institution is primarily due to the open strike that the Association of the Teaching Staff has announced.

“We express our concerns regarding the relocation of three faculties: Education, Agriculture, and Forestry & Range Science. We urge the Vice Chancellor and the University Council Chairperson to immediately suspend the relocation of these faculties to Renk and Malakal. This decision was made without consulting the students and poses significant challenges, including insecurity, high transportation costs, and a lack of food and accommodation for the students and staff.”

He said they students are requesting the government and university administration to rent another site in Juba for the three faculties if the relocation is brought on by the growing number of students on Munuki site.

“We call upon the relevant government offices to engage with us and address our pressing issues. We specifically appeal to the Office of the Vice President for Service Cluster, the Vice President for Economic Cluster, and the Ministry of Higher Education to take prompt action in resolving these matters within the next 72 hours.”