The national Ministry of Education is planning to train primary and secondary school teachers on mathematics and sciences in states.
Torit state Education Director, Gabriel Oliha says the in-service intensive training course will commence during school holidays in an effort to build capacity of untrained teachers.
He says this training will cut across the whole of South Sudan.
“Our resolution was to send teachers for training, so we are registering those teachers. We are now sending all the messages to the counties to send teachers because we want about100 teachers to be trained. This is for Torit, because the same thing should be happening for other states. Because we are not teaching something for Torit but we are teaching for the whole country. The last day for registration is up to the 15th of this month. Send us those teachers, who have not been trained, they have to be trained here. The list of these 100 teachers will be send to the national government”, stresses Oliha.
According to him students seems not to understand the practical part of mathematics and sciences, and that strengthening the teachers will help improve their performances.
The director urges the government to motivate needs of teachers.
“But we need the government to come up with motivation for teachers. That increases their salary, make some promotion and recruitment. We need teachers to be recruited; we have so many schools here. If the teachers are not trained now which means we are just going back. But we are trying our best that is why we are putting this in-service training for teachers who are untrained. And also the head masters, they have to make what we call cluster training. This cluster training you can call during weekend or even anytime you call somebody who has not got the training. Just make them some instructions; do this when you are going to start a lesson”, he appeals.
The director was narrating the resolution of their meeting they had in Juba with three other education directors from Jubek, Jonglei and Gogrial state late last month.
Meanwhile, head teacher of Torit Day Secondary School, Valery Afara Ohiri expects the training to be more of practical than theories.
“Most of the schools lack laboratories and most of the things are taught theoretically, and which is supposed to have some practical part of it. And if they have the practical parts, the practical parts make things easier. And this is something they do by themselves, it make them understand fully. That training should not be one that is going to end up in theoretical basis. Let it also be practical. Things have to be included like the laboratory should be availed such that when they come to the schools then they will find out it it possible for them to also take the learners to see the practical part of the sciences such that the subjects can become a bit okay”, he notes.
The speakers talked to Radio Emmanuel in an interview on Tuesday.