An official from national General Education Ministry said on Friday that lack of funds to print books and train teachers slowed down the introduction of mother tongues as media of instruction in early learning.
Director of the National Languages Department Moses Mading Marial explained to CRN that there were problems of capacity since elderly people were the ones who knew the languages best.
He said all the languages in the country have been given status as national languages.
Mr Mading added there are 51 languages in South Sudan, out of which 34 have writing systems and Bari and Zande were well advanced.
National Language Inspector Bartholomew Morbe Tombe said the entire Bari speaking groups in Central Equatoria use the same text books for teaching the language in the schools.
He explained that only 12 schools – three in Juba, three in Lainya and six in Kajo Keji – have been selected to start teaching in Bari Language but they lacked unified general tests.
General Education Law passed last year by the national parliament said mother tongues should be medium of instruction in primary one through three and the transition to English done in primary four.