Education is an investment in human capital

Basic Education
The majority of schools in the rural areas in Southern Sudan have been destroyed by two decades of civil war, and remained unfixed. The war has created two generations without an education. Today many children in Southern Sudan who survived the civil war are without education. Thus, there is a big gap in education among the southern Sudan's generations.

Although a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Sudan in the year 2005, one third of primary education in Southern Sudan is being conducted under the trees in makeshift classroom situations, thus, when rain comes, the classes are cancelled. The focus of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) in introducing a decentralized educational system and collaboration with donor agencies operating in Southern Sudan on educational programs was to enhance improvement of educational standard and war against illiteracy and poverty eradication in Southern Sudan. The Young Shepherds is seeking funding to participate in the reconstruction/construction of primary, secondary schools and training centers especially in the rural areas to meet the needs of the population that is at growth.

Remaining walls of Mundri Senior Secondary School, Southern Sudan

Secondary Education
Secondary education in Southern Sudan is needy. In the priority three new counties of Mvolo, West and East Mundri of former Great Mundri County in Western Equatoria State, secondary education has an unpredictable future. Currently, there are no secondary schools. Children travel to far away destinations (about 25 to 100 miles) in search of secondary education. In addition, there are no school buses to alleviate the burden of repeated risky long trips for the students. Consequently, many children from these counties usually end up with only an 8th grade education. Those who managed to get admitted to other remote secondary schools, usually drop out early due to lack of accommodation and school lunch.

Aggravated by the fact that many roads in Southern Sudan still have broken bridges, and remnant land mines, which pose further threats to the children's struggle for education in Southern Sudan. One can see that girls are the victims of such educational deterrence, because it is not safe to walk long distances with the boys during late hours. Therefore, bringing education close to the homes of girls and boys in the community during a decentralized system appears to be successful at least in enrolling girls in Primary One.

It is worth giving exemplary attention to the situation of secondary schools prior to the civil war in Southern Sudan. Mundri Senior Secondary School had been one of the best and the only largest boarding secondary school in the former Greater Mundri County that used to accept a large number of students from all over Southern Sudan for secondary education in Mundri. However, since its destruction by the civil war, it has not fully been renovated except for two classrooms out of twelve classes. Therefore, the reconstruction of this school would be an advantage to rescue those students striving to attain a secondary education in Greater Mundri County and from other states in Southern Sudan.

Lui Girls Secondary School in Juba

In the larger towns of Southern Sudan such as Juba, Wau, Malakal, Yei and several others, the school premises are crowded with the internal displaced persons (IDPs). The majority of the schools operate in complexes that comprise of three to six schools packed into one facility. This leads to compactness in the school compound and especially in the classrooms because there are about sixty to seventy students in one classroom. A typical example of this is found in the case of Lui Girls Secondary School, located in Juba, the capital city of Southern Sudan. At this school, students sit so tightly to each other on narrow benches that writing is difficult for them.

Due to lack of space in the classrooms, teachers do not have the opportunity to move between the rows to monitor the class activities. Due to a lack of school materials and textbooks, a textbook has to be shared by two to three students, a practice that lowers a student's concentration and academic performance. This kind of situation exacerbates things for the smooth running of educational programs in Southern Sudan; therefore, requests for international financial contributions to enable school construction is what the Young Shepherds strives to promote.

Tegya Primary School in Southern Sudan

Achievements
In the year 2002, the Young Shepherds mobilized the community at Lakama'di Payam for the establishment of five schools on a voluntary basis. The community provided free food and the Young Shepherds donated $700 US Dollars that enabled them to construct 18 classrooms, built of wooden building materials. Those schools are operating to date except that some have been destroyed by ants. With the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan in the year 2005 some of those schools have been taken over by the Government of Southern Sudan. The government paid all the teachers except the Tegya Primary School which is still being run by the community. There are over 300 pupils enrolled at Tegya Primary School for Academic school year 2009-2010 that ranges the highest among the five schools in the area. The grade level at Tegya ranges from Primary I to 7th Grade. However, it lacks a permanent concrete school building that will comprise of eight classrooms, trained teachers and salaries for the teachers.

Students In Uganda

Scholarships
In the year 2003, the community at Lakama’di Village selected six students for education in Uganda. However, the community was unable to pay them after the completion of their second semester studies in Uganda. The Young Shepherds in collaboration with the First Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC) in Fargo, North Dakota raised a sum of $1500 that continued for two years to enable the students to complete their studies for a period of four years. The purpose was to train them so that they would return home to help in the five schools as teachers and as health care workers.

When the financial resource from the UCC ceased in the year 2004, the Young Shepherds’ members in the United States helped in donating from their own money for the continuation of the six students. The students all have completed their studies and are now helping in various department of civil society in Southern Sudan

Another group of scholarship seekers comprising of four students joined their colleagues in Uganda in the year 2007 with purpose to attend a short-term training program with YMCA in the USA. However, it was not successful because it was a fake promise played in the name of the YMCA by some hackers. The student after having paid part of the admission procedure, more money was needed and the students asked for a loan, a sum of $1,200 was paid by the Young Shepherds’ Chief Coordinator from his personal account. The hackers promised that when those students arrived to Washington DC, this money would be paid to the owner. One of them was said to be working in the American Embassy in Senegal and the other was in Washington DC. The young Shepherds tried hard to trace them but failed and the money is also gone. The Young Shepherds’ education Coordinator is advising students in Southern Sudan to be careful of such tricks. We have the training program as our top priority, so should we have the budget scholarships would be advertised in our website.