Minister of Education in Wau State reveals a plan to ban selling of reading materials which have been distributed to schools in markets.
Andrew Apiny, Executive Director of CARD organization in Wau, says what impressed the organizations to support schools is good managements.
He regrets that it is very disappointing to see scholastic materials distributed to help learners, in the markets.
“As NGOs, we are shock that exercise books that we give to the schools, are been sold in the market. So how they get to the market is the question we are asking ourselves. But we checked every student in Pianto School and they have the exercise books that we have given out. That tell us that this school is doing very well. Secondly, how that school is being managed. We went and checked everything in that school and we observed that everybody in that school has the role to play. So they are doing their work in a way that we want it to be done’.
Apiny advises communities to know that Parents-Teachers Association is very important and the only team to guide schools management.
‘We deliver the material, but tomorrow we see them in the market. So it is our collective responsibility. Do you love your work and the people your serving? So if the head master of Pianto loves the community and the learners, he will not sell those books. I thank the ministry of education; it is doing a lot of work and in supporting all the partners and giving us the green line to do what we want to do. We want all the communities of South Sudan to cooperate and should know whether their children get the services or not and come to the ministry of education and say this head master is not doing very well”.
The challenge that let school materials to markets is mismanagement from some officials, says Simon Paul Ngdogo, Director of Budgeting and Planning at State Ministry of Education.
He urges the community to help the state ministry with information on who sells scholastic materials out to be held accountable.
Paul warns that school materials with logos of UN agencies found in the markets would be confiscated.
‘We don’t want to see any supply concerning schools in the market. Let us be very frank and we know very well that there is mismanagement and we have rules in the ministry of education’.