The South Sudan National Policy and Strategy on Youth and Adult Literacy validated by education stakeholders

The National Youth and Adult Literacy Policy and Strategy, 2021-2025, provides a framework for providing and promoting literacy and lifelong learning and for increasing the literacy rate of South Sudan, empowering the citizens and enabling them to play their role actively and fully in the development of their country. The policy and strategy contain a series of ambitious reforms intended to overcome the challenges facing South Sudan and creating a learning society. It envisions a literate, active, lifelong learning society whose members are competent, creative, peaceful, law-abiding, gender-sensitive, environmentally responsible, and productive individuals.

A wide range of stakeholders from national and state levels of government, and development partners participated in the validation meetings.

 In his opening remarks, the Undersecretary Ministry of General Education, and Instruction Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok, highlighted that the policy contributes significantly to implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, 2018. Considering that literacy levels are low in South Sudan, he believes that revised policy and strategy will facilitate improvement of literacy competency levels, promote lifelong learning, learning throughout life and life-wide learning and enable its citizens to unlock “the treasure within”. He urged State Ministers of General Education and Instruction to translate the policy into action and create a learning society on the ground in every State, County, Payam, Boma, neighbourhood and family.

The UNESCO Country Director and Representative, Mr. Julius Banda, stated that improved access to literacy, numeracy and skills development for youth and adults especially girls and women remains a top priority for UNESCO in South Sudan. SDG4 target on literacy and lifelong learning should be realized through strengthened partnerships for formal and non-formal literacy programmes, to create a literate population for all in South Sudan, in particular, the nomadic pastoral communities who make up the largest number of the rural populations and out of school youth.

The Minister of Education and General Instruction, Hon. Awut Deng Achuil, asserted the value of having the inputs and feedback from the State Ministers. The state ministries will be responsible for the implementations of the policy and strategy, thus need to be conversant and use it as reference for action.

 In his closing remarks the Vice President (for Service Delivery) H.E. Abdelbagi Akol Ayii, appreciated UNESCO for facilitating the policy review and development processes. He said I believe that the discussions will help improve the policies and its implementation. He also commented that there need to improve the academic achievements among public schools across the states. Furthermore, the VP cautioned State Ministries of Education to desist from misappropriation of education grants received.