Gov’t tests competency of nearly 10,00 primary school teachers in Northern Bahr el Ghazal

AWEIL – Nearly 10,000 primary school teachers in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state are undergoing an assessment test to evaluate their competency, the state Ministry of General Education and Instruction announced.

Acting Director General for Education Ustaz Peter Deng Deng said 9,635 teachers across the state’s five counties are participating in the exams.

“Today, across Northern Bahr el Ghazal state we are commencing the assessment test for all primary teachers in all the schools in NBGs,” Deng told reporters in Aweil.

The assessment papers were prepared and will be invigilated by the University of Rumbek for Science and Technology, Deng added.

“All teachers have come, and they have showed their commitment and readiness because the turnout is good and they like the assessment test,” he said.

Deng emphasized that the purpose of the test is not to dismiss teachers but to identify those who require further training.

“We are doing it so that we know the level of all the teachers so that we can plan and make the right decision so that they are taken for training,” he explained.

“The overall objective is to identify the level of teachers, for instance how many teachers need their capacity to be raised,” he added.

Aweil West County Commissioner Peter Garang Maduok welcomed the initiative.

“We want to thank the Honorable Minister of General Education [Awut Deng] for this initiative she has already made for the South Sudan teacher to see exactly and confirm the teacher that would teach our children,” Maduok said.

“The priority in all the countries is only education because when you have strong education, the future and the nation will become a better nation,” he added.

Kiir Chan Wol, Aweil North County Commissioner, echoed Maduok’s sentiments and assured that teachers who require improvement would be supported.

“For teachers who will not pass the exams, we are not going to abandon them, but they will be taken for training at Teachers Training Institute (TTI) so that they become competent teachers,” Wol said.

“We need capable teachers so that they impart education to our sons and daughters in our state and Aweil North County in particular,” he concluded, praising the University of Rumbek for its role in the assessment process.