In a child-led parliamentary session organized by Save the Children, children in South Sudan are calling for their rights to access quality education. The session, under the theme “My Voice My Right”, aims to foster dialogue and hear children’s voices on educational needs and challenges in the country. Save the Children facilitated the session, bringing together children from across the country, both in person and virtually.
The children highlighted factors such as armed conflict, poverty, sexual exploitation, child marriage, negative cultural and traditional norms, physical harm, psychosocial distress, lack of scholastic materials, and lack of teacher motivation as barriers to education in South Sudan. One student, Imran*, shared that in Maban, girls are not sent to school due to cultural norms.
More than 2.8 million children in South Sudan, over 70 percent, are out of school, posing a risk to their futures and the country’s future. The largest group of out-of-school children in South Sudan are girls.
The event on November 9th, 2023 provides a platform for children to express themselves and explore factors influencing educational performance. The discussion aims to encourage children to actively participate and shape decision-making in the country.
During the session, a student named Juan* emphasized the importance of quality teachers, urging the government to provide teacher training colleges in different states.
High-level delegates from various ministries and educational partners attended the event. The Undersecretary of the Minister of General Education and Instruction expressed the government’s commitment to solving the issues raised by the children.
Save the Children is piloting and coordinating a child parliamentary initiative in five of the country’s 10 states, with the goal of establishing a national “Child Parliament” in collaboration with other child-focused organizations and the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare.
David Barth, Save the Children US Vice President for International Programs, praised the intelligence of the children’s parliament and emphasized the importance of access to and improvement of quality education for all children in South Sudan.
Save the Children’s education program in South Sudan focuses on increasing access to safe, inclusive, and quality basic education for all children in the country.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.