PIBOR – Education authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) have expressed deep concern after the region recorded an exceptionally low number of candidates sitting for this year’s Senior Four national examinations.
According to the local Ministry of General Education, only 47 students, 44 males and just 3 females are sitting for the South Sudan Certificate of Secondary Education (SSCE) in 2025. Officials say the number marks one of the lowest turnouts ever recorded in the area.
Speaking to Sudans Post on Monday, GPAA Minister of General Education Butrosus Ochalla described the turnout as “deeply worrying,” linking the decline to persistent early marriages, inadequate school infrastructure, insecurity, and a lack of qualified teachers.
“There are no qualified teachers, and when there are no qualified teachers, there is no good teaching,” Ochalla said. “Sometimes age and sex cause dropout from schools. When their age mates are fighting, they look after each other, which makes some students run away from school for fear of being beaten.”
Ochalla noted that the majority of teachers in the area are volunteers who receive little to no pay, a situation he says has severely affected teaching quality and learner performance.
“Most of the teachers now are volunteers, and there is no good payment for them. The Chief Administrator has now ordered me to register all the teachers and allow them to apply so they can receive proper motivation,” he explained.
The minister further attributed the low turnout of female candidates to widespread early and forced marriages, which remain common in many communities across GPAA.
“The problem leading to the poor turnout among girls is early marriage. You can find a young girl of 14 years being married off if a man offers a good number of cattle, around 40 herds,” Ochalla said.
In response, the ministry has begun running community awareness programs through local radio stations in Pibor to encourage parents to keep children, especially girls, in school.
“We are now making community awareness through a community radio here in Pibor to ensure that the next academic year is better than this one, and according to my observation, this will help a lot,” he added.
