According to an official letter dated March 16, 2026, Bor County Education Director Gabriel Panchol Anyang said the policy targets private primary and secondary schools operating under the Jonglei Union Private Schools (JUTs) network in Bor County.
The directive outlines a structured payment system requiring families to pay 3,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) per term for each learner from nursery level to Primary 8, starting in the first term of 2026. For senior secondary students (Senior 1 to Senior 4), the fee has been set at 5,000 SSP per student per term.
In addition to the student fees, the order introduces a 10 per cent personal income tax on teachers’ monthly salaries, effective from March 2026. Authorities describe the measure as a “partial PIT” aimed at supporting the administration and financing of the education system.
The directive cites the General Education Act 2012, the General Education “Blue Book” of 2015, and a recent ministerial order issued earlier in March 2026 as its legal basis. Officials say the decision follows administrative resolutions reached between March 12 and 13, 2026.
School administrators have been instructed to acknowledge receipt of the directive and update their financial records accordingly. All payments are to be made directly to the Bor County Education Inspectorate of Administration and Finance.
Officials maintain that the policy is intended to ensure the smooth running of education activities in the county. However, concerns remain over how the new costs will affect already vulnerable households.
The directive comes at a time when communities in Jonglei State are facing significant economic hardship, raising questions among parents and education stakeholders about affordability and access to schooling.
A private secondary school teacher, Nai Panchol, criticised the move, arguing that it places an unfair burden on both teachers and families.
“It is the role of the government to ensure the smooth running of the education system, not to tax both students and teachers whose salaries are not even enough to feed their families,” Panchol said.
“The government’s failure in education is a leadership failure. It is a failure of vision, a failure to empower, and a failure to invest in people. Reversing this decline requires a paradigm shift from political administration to strategic, supportive, and stable educational leadership.”
Students have also voiced concern. Becky Ayen, a learner at a private school in Bor, said many parents are already struggling to afford school fees.
“Some children have already dropped out of school because their parents cannot pay the fees,” she said. “The Bor County leadership should reconsider this decision if they want children to stay in school.”
Attempts to reach the Chairperson of the Jonglei Union of Private Schools (JUTs) network in Bor County were unsuccessful.
