OCHA coordinates the global emergency response to save lives and protect people in humanitarian crises. Phase 1 includes the candidate classes, Primary 8 and Senior 4, and will start the first week of October 2020. UNICEF and UNESCO welcome the decision to reopen schools in South Sudan "This year is unique; I am proud of all candidates who never experienced school closures before, and despite the pandemic and crazy things happening, reading for exams in a short time. The state building and peace building efforts of the national plans put high demand on the education system to expand fast, reduce inequity, and provide appropriate teaching. Noel Kana is one of them, "I am happy to hear that schools will reopen because being idle is not suitable for learners. I work for the GPE Secretariat WFP Eastern Africa - 2022 Regional Achievements & Outlook, UNICEF South Sudan Appeal, 2023 Revision 1 (April 2023), WFP South Sudan Situation Report #310, 28 February 2023, Culture, Context and Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-Being of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons from South Sudan. Social mobilizers will be raising awareness on the reopening of schools and encouraging parents to send their children to school. Beijing ICP prepared NO.16065310-3. He noted that schools will only operate at half capacity as preventive measures against COVID-19. Save the Children, partners and the Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs express commitment to keep schools safe and urged all parties to the armed conflict to refrain from actions that impede childrens access to education. September 24, 2020. South Sudan: With guns silent, a school for boys arises How fast are countries transforming their education? Schools were shut down in April of last year, as part of measures put in place by the government to contain the spread of Covid-19. After the signing of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan in 2018, many parts of the country saw a decrease in conflict incidents. During a validation workshop of the Safe Declaration guidelines, representatives of armed forces and civilians were identified to be occupants of the schools in South Sudan. Phase 1 includes the candidate classes, Primary 8 and Senior 4, and will start the first week of October 2020. Lawrence Mathew (15), a senior three student says also he has been struggling; "We have been out of school and idle at home for over a year, sometimes we revise our past lessons, but we are losing hope that our classes will reopen.". WFP Eastern Africa - 2022 Regional Achievements & Outlook, UNICEF South Sudan Appeal, 2023 Revision 1 (April 2023), WFP South Sudan Situation Report #310, 28 February 2023, Culture, Context and Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-Being of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons from South Sudan. This is our responsibility as parents to ensure that our children are encouraged and supported to go back to school, the minister stressed. Happy and excited, students jumped with joy after dusting the last examination paper- the day they have been looking forward to for four years is finally over. Students and pupils learn different things in contrast to what is taught in schools as they are not keen to revise their books; only the reopening of schools can make everything better, and the learning process will resume smoothly.. The guidelines to be followed will be issued by the concerned ministries.. Wendy, a 16-year-old student who completed the recent Senior 4 exams in Juba. The guidelines are meant to protect schools from military use during and after armed conflicts. A special emphasis should go to support their return to schools. They are more vulnerable to child labor and less likely to break out of the cycle of poverty. Required fields are marked *, Receive news updates via email from this site. The government has previously faced criticism for relaxing restrictions despite still registering increases in COVID-19 cases. UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. South Sudan had the first conference on Safe School Declaration (co-convenience meeting). COVID-19: South Sudans schools set to reopen, minister says, South Sudan confirms 72 more COVID-19 cases, South Sudan confirms its fourth Covid-19 case, South Sudan reports fifth confirmed COVID-19 case, Workers recover first bodies from collapsed mine in DR Congo, Egypt records 153 new COVID-19 cases,bringing the tally to 101,009, 2022 witnessed landmark setback for U.S. human rights: report, Africa marks 10-year anniversary of President Xis four-point proposal, 2023 marks a decade since Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to Africa. As classes resume, the education ministry recommends that only 50 learners will be allowed in a classroom at the primary schools and 45 learners at the secondary schools. I am very happy that schools have opened and we have returned to school and now we are very happy because of this school opening, Jackline Kizito said. There is increasing evidence that children and schools are not the main drivers of the epidemic across countries. COVID-19: South Sudan's schools set to reopen, minister says Seminar "Protection of journalists, a guarantee to defend freedom of expression", Youth committed to the education of children with disabilities, Experiences of school re-openings: 13 recommendations and lessons from various countries. This is especially true for girls. Students and pupils learn different things in contrast to what is taught in schools as they are not keen to revise their books; only the reopening of schools can make everything better, and the learning process will resume smoothly.. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. As children in South Sudan await the re-opening of schools, WFP is mitigating against the impact of the pandemic on children's health and nutrition by providing take-home rations for 23,000 children in the most food-insecure counties. And yet increasingly, evidence points to harm being done to children by not being in school. VCG. Sadly, on these fronts, the evidence is overwhelming. The schools were shut down in March 2020 and the government reopened schools in phases with final year students allowed to attend classes in October 2020. The recovery rate was more than 95 per cent in some of the most difficult-to-operate areas of the world, he added. On 20 March 2020, all schools in South Sudan were closed and almost 2 million children were forced out of classes due to COVID-19 preventive measures. Education in South Sudan | Global Partnership for Education Ms. Awut further revealed that the reopening of schools came after the Girls' Education South Sudan (GESS), an education program, and the Global Partnership for Education, a partnership and funding platform that aims to strengthen education systems in developing countries, provided funds to enable distribution of water sanitation and hygiene . Schools protect learners from harmful cultural practices and work as an access point for services including water, sanitation and hygiene and food. Essential health services are provided in former UN Protection of Civilian sites, host communities as well as remote and hard-to-reach locations serviced by the IOMs mobile rapid response teams. Schools are safe places for children where they are protected from exploitation, abuse and from harmful cultural practices such as child marriage and early pregnancies. South Sudan launches school reopening across the country "This will require an inclusive process -after all, the inequalities in education based on gender, culture, inequitable resource sharing is the root cause of conflict. "I am happy that schools are going to reopen. UNICEF and UNESCO welcome the decision of the Government to start reopening of schools in South Sudan. The countrywide reopening of schools in South Sudan is a welcome step on the road to normalcy for youngsters, two in three of whom need humanitarian assistance, the UN Childrens Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday. Based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, the 2005 Convention ultimately providesa new framework for informed, transparent and parti, UNESCOs e-Platform on intercultural dialogue is designed for organizations and individuals to learn from shared knowledge or experiences from infl. I appreciate the day today that they have opened our school and we are really happy. Both pupils and students were so happy celebrating school re-opening after lifting the lockdown, Your email address will not be published. According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from attack, population displacement, continued abduction of children & women, COVID-19 restrictions and mandatory closure of schools for fourteen (14) months had further threatened education in South Sudan. Schools allow children to access basic services including clean water, health and in many cases also food. Learn about employment opportunities across the UN in South Sudan. All schools have been closed since March 2020 due to COVID-19, keeping 2 million children out of school. With the academic year cut just six weeks in, many students were worried they would never be able to sit their final exams and finish their education. I am excited to hear schools will reopen and soon we shall get to reunite with friends and teachers to learn more," Lawrence said. "Overstaying at home is embarrassing us and erasing away the knowledge we acquired from our teachers. Awut Deng Achuil, minister for general education said the first phase of reopening that kicks off on October 5 will involve only 75,000 pupils in primary 8 and 35,000 students in senior 4 across the . UNICEF is thankful for all the support from our trusted Education partners, including Canada, EU/ECHO, Norway, Sweden, the Global Partnership for Education, UKAID and USAID. Now, its time for Lawrence and the rest of the children to return to school. At the same time, we have seen growing evidence of the negative impact closed classrooms have had on children, including abuse, exploitation, child marriage and early pregnancies. To counter disruptions in education caused by COVID-19, UNMISS peacekeepers from Mongolia hand over school materials for displaced children in Bentiu. I believe we are going to excel in the exams, and I am glad we have made it," Windy says with a grin. Education partners were alarmed by children who dropped out of schools, primarily teenagers who got marriages during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Juba School has reopened in East Africas youngest nation after closure for more than one year, despite the third surge of COVID-19 pandemic. South Sudan launches 'Safe School Declaration Guidelines - ReliefWeb I work in academia In conclusion, Save the Childrens Country Director called for an increase in funding for peace education and the implementation of the Safe School Declaration guidelines., Written by Daniel Danis/Save the Children, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In the face of this unprecedented public health crisis, it is true that families, communities and governments are averse to making any call that might bring harm to children. The following three years of the GESP are focused on institutionalizing teacher training, school supervision, and expansion of secondary and technical education. The Safe School Declaration has been developed in the form of Schools as "Zones of Peace." Furthermore, South Sudan Ministry of Education policy framework has been developed and is now before the cabinet for approval. Find the latest Ideas, Multimedia content, Free courses, publications and reports. "It is important to evacuate any premises and institution of learning occupied by armed groups to be evacuated now and not tomorrow," His Excellency Ayii directed. South Sudans education system is characterized as a low investment, low capacity, but high demand system. UNICEF South Sudan and Partners Launch "Invest in Teachers, Invest in the Future" Campaign, UNICEF works with national and State health ministries, partners, and community health workers to ensure all eligible persons are vaccinated, A path to improved education in South Sudan, COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Kicks Off to Boost Coverage in South Sudan. Noel Kana is one of them, "I am happy to hear that schools will reopen because being idle is not suitable for learners. Monday, August 30, 2021. UNICEF successfully advocated for the reopening of schools after 14 months of closure due to COVID-19 measures, and supported schools to resume functioning. Joy in South Sudan, as schools reopen after 14-month COVID lockdown The Minister of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) has just announced that all schools in South Sudan will reopen on 3 May 2021. UNICEF has committed funds and support to the education ministry to distribute equipment allowing schools to adhere to the Covid-19 preventive measures. Dreaming of World Peace - Anglicanism.org, Pan African Visions POWERED BY BRANDFOLD DIGITAL, Registration Opens for 2020 Afreximbank Annual Meetings, Amnesty International To File For Arrest Of Bishop Obinim For Stomping Pregnant Womans Belly, Newly Registered Collecting Society Seeks To Empower Zimbabwes Performing Artists, Tackling one of the Worlds Highest Teenage Pregnancy Rates, to Give Girls a Better Future, Merck foundation together with First Lady of Mozambique announce Stay at Home Media Recognition Awards. Lifelong learning is key to overcoming global challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, Cat II Intergovernmental meeting, other than international conference of States, SDG 4 Regional Steering Committee Meeting for Latin America and the Caribbean. And we know this has not been a short period; fourteen months of children being out of school are long, said Ms. Hamida. We advocate for effective and principled humanitarian action by all, for all. Schools finally reopened their doors after more than 14 months of closures because of COVID-19. SSEC- Report After Action Review of School Feeding (South Sudan Humanitarian Fund-SA 1) Questionnaire - IRNA Education Chapter. We appeal to the communities and the families to have confidence and send their children back to school once it has re-opened. After 14 months, schools in South Sudan reopen You can sense the jubilation at Development Secondary School in Juba as senior four students braced the blistering heat to celebrate the completion of their secondary school examinations. However, the vast majority of children, if infected, display mild symptoms and recover well. Despite conflicting opinions on the question, theres no mistaking the strong, almost visceral response shared by all: there is a need to protect the young from the risk of harm brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. It says the country now records a decline of three percent of cases daily. Prolonged school closures are likely to cause students to regress academically. School In South Sudan - schoolslearning.info Public access to information is a key component of UNESCO's commitment to transparency and its accountability. Usually, we look forward to the holidays, but suddenly our holiday became so long," Wendy said. We now know more about children and COVID-19 than we did before. Schools protect learners from harmful cultural practices and work as an access point for services including water, sanitation and hygiene and food. Unfortunately, some of them were going through many difficulties and challenges, as we all know. "Overstaying at home is embarrassing us and erasing away the knowledge we acquired from our teachers.