This article was published in the week of Feb. 23/09, and is the first in a series by me on Education in Southern Sudan. The Sudan Mirror is an independent newspaper serving Southern Sudan that is printed in Nairobi and flown into Sudan bi-weekly. It is written in English, but is also translated into Arabic for those in Northern Sudan. While circulation in Sudan is small, between 10- 20 000, one copy is often read by an entire village. Stay tuned for more articles to come!“Beyond the waters of the Nile, oil and minerals, Southern Sudan has a precious- an infinite- natural resource: the minds, the determination and the potential of her people, especially her children” Rita Salah of UNICEF, 2006
As it stands today, Southern Sudan and her people are in dire need of the formation of a sustainable, qualified, comprehensive and accessible education system. While the construction of such a system might borrow its materials and ideas from a variety of existing systems throughout Africa and the world, it is necessary to look at the more abstract issues of education in the South- where will qualified teachers come from? Why is there a lack of qualified teachers that return to rural areas? What roles should NGOs and the GoSS (Government of Southern Sudan) play in the disbursement of knowledge? Who should be included in targeted educational programs, and what kinds of things should be taught? While all the answers may not be apparent, these questions need serious consideration before a system is committed to.
While there are many explanations and theories on the meaning of education, Eric Hoffer, a 20th century American philosopher offers a description that is acutely relevant to Southern Sudan: “The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.”In the context of a new Sudan, it is important to remember that society is advanced when it’s members work together to question the existing system, and build on it where it needs change. Fundamental change, as we know from US President Barack Obama, is sometimes the only way to overcome our most pressing dilemmas. This requires not just the memorization of facts or the strict teacher-to-student lecture style that is present in some African countries- it demands a critically thinking population that is ready to ask tough questions and come up with reasonable solutions.
A typical school in Southern Sudan
It is becoming clear that the motivation of some Sudanese to be educated might be one of self-interest. Several Sudanese who complete post-secondary studies and courses are drawn to jobs at NGO’s or private sector positions, simply because they offer attractive salaries, not to mention a wide variety of bonuses- cars, big offices, and a sense of power. Most of these jobs are unfortunately located in urban areas, and often out of Sudan altogether, while most citizens in the South live in small, rural areas. While some do indeed return with a heart to impart knowledge on the students, they often don’t last long and are lured into these lucrative positions with their fellow learned graduates. Local schools and smaller villages suffer from this phenomenon called “Brain Drain”, where the top minds in a given region or country leave to pursue their own interests (often due to financial incentives and a greater quality of life). It is a serious problem that is affecting the prospect of quality and sustainable education in the South, but as Andrea Naletto of Norwegian Refugee Council says, it’s understandable- “who in their right mind would leave Kakuma for [Sudan] to work for free?” But, you might ask, shouldn’t the desire to serve ones people trump any financial motive? Should not education be focused on community service and the empowerment of generations of citizens, to enable them to take the future into their own hands, with the knowledge to do so?
It is true that foreign NGOs have had immeasurable positive influences on development in Southern Sudan, but it might be coming at a high cost and inflicting indirect harm to the creation and continuation of small, un-aided schools. Why not supplement and assist these schools in paying their teachers comparable salaries to those schools under NGO supervision and sponsorship? This would allow for a dispersal of education, rather than a small concentration of schools in a few select areas. Access to education is key if there is to be a remotely equal development across the South.
This accessibility needs to be granted to a greater percentage of the population, across a wide spectrum of demographics. United Nations Population Fund statistics show that while 37% of Southern Sudanese men are literate, a mere 12% of women can claim the same. Thousands if not millions of studies have been done that show the education of women benefits everyone in a variety of ways, as listed by Farzaneh Roudi-Fahimi and Valentine M. Moghadam in “Empowering Women, Developing Society”; child mortality rates fall, family health improves, personal and national economic growth increases, children of educated mothers are more likely to enroll in and succeed in educational pursuits, and poverty is reduced in general. Whatever the winning system, the government needs to ensure that gender equality- that is, the participation of girls and boys, men and women- is present. This is especially crucial given that there are twice as many women as men in the South as a result of war.
It has been said that when you teach a man a skill, you are teaching only him to use it. But when you teach a mother a skill, you are indirectly developing the knowledge of a whole family, and their subsequent children. The need to educate Southern Sudan’s adults is clear- the knowledge they receive will trickle down to new generations. It creates an entire population, including those from different age groups, genders and experiences, that has a cohesive and clear direction forward in unity. While some adult education centres exist with the help of foreign and local NGOs, the GoSS will need to develop some adult learning strategies and a policy of inclusion for all who wish to learn.
Any government initiative to establish an effective and lasting educational framework for the South must also include the establishment of teacher support programs, problem-solving workshops and continuing education courses or centres. The creation of these types of educational supplements will encourage and equip teachers to remain in rural areas, with the confidence and the knowledge to back up their positions as educators. It is also imperative that culturally relevant information is disseminated to the general population in interesting, comprehensive and universal ways. In addition to formal education, the population needs civic education or technical training in areas of agriculture, health & sanitation, small business management, and in areas of human rights and the process of government. Through books, plays, radio shows, pamphlets, newspapers or demonstrations, it is up to the GoSS to develop its population into knowledgeable people in control of their own destinies. Only then will the exploitation and extreme poverty cease to dictate the lives of those in the region.
