Western Equatoria Education Ministry and Jesuit Refugee Service on Thursday conducted International Girls’ Education Day under Girls’ Education South Sudan or GESS Programme at Li- Rangu Payam of Yambio County.
Education Minister Pia Philip Michael urged parents to send all children to school as education is a key to success in life and that educating a girl would reduce poverty, Anisa Radio reported.
Li-Rangu’s State MP Hussein Enoka appealed to the state government to send good teachers, promising that the community would take care of their stay in the area.
He said the state assembly would soon pass into law the Girl’s Education Bill to protect girls.
Li-Rangu Payam administrator Sabit Vero cited lack of qualified teachers as a major challenge forcing parents to take their children to study in the town.
GESS representative John Gaaniko said the national government and UK prioritized girl’s education and launched a program to support all school girls from class five to senior four with little fund and also support schools’ rehabilitation.
Statistics showed that this year, 420 girls out of 913 pupils study in six primary schools with only 17 government employed teachers in Li-Rangu Payam.