Most of the 1,000 pupils at Lietnhom primary school in Aweil East County are waving goodbye to soggy textbooks, withering leaves suddenly falling down to cover their eyes and notebooks, pens and secret notes of love and gossip being blown away by almighty winds.
Their days of studying under a tree are now gone, replaced by the comfort of three classrooms, fully equipped with roof, walls, desks and chairs. The trees won’t even be needed for calls of nature, as a bathroom has also been installed, not to mention a special room for the teaching staff. Happy days!
“I am very excited about having a real school to go to. Our books have often become destroyed by heavy rains, says 17-year-old Bakhita Abuk Garang, who dreams of reaching senior four and be able to help her father.
The fine premises did not materialize out of thin air: they are the result of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan having chosen the construction as one of its Quick Impact Projects, low-cost initiatives intended to have a significant impact on the lives of residents of local communities.
Lietnhom primary school was established in 1995. Among its keen pupils have been many a son and daughter of internally displaced people, forced to flee their homes during violence in 2014 and 2016.
During the rainy season, roughly between May and November, learning conditions have been challenging. Not only have valuable teaching material been ruined, but inclement weather has also led to classes being cancelled, course syllabus not being completed and the rate of progression to higher classes have been low.
“We are unable to inspect schools during rainy season. For instance, this year’s rains are too much. About 67 schools have been submerged by water,” laments Simon Ngor Piol, the county’s Director of Education.
A lack of qualified teachers and educational material has frequently been a problem, but according to the state’s Minister of Education, Santino Bol Akok, better times will soon come.
“I assure you that we shall provide teachers to this school to deliver the quality education these children need and deserve,” he said.
World Food Programme is also contributing to the renaissance of Lietnhom primary school, and they do so by including the establishment in its school feeding programme.
“We are doing this to stop short-term hunger among the pupils, and that will probably see more boys and girls enroll to study here,” said Solomon Tilahun, Head of the UN agency’s field office in the region.
So, is all well and good now? Unfortunately, one vital improvement remains to be made: the construction of another few classrooms. As it turns out, says 14-year-old Athieng Garang, some pupils will still need to struggle with the occasional class under the trees. She and her friends hope that the day will come, for all of them, to forget about those soggy textbooks once and for all.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
