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Some 400,000 children to go back to school amid conflict in South Sudan

Xinhua, February 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

About 400,000 children whose schooling has been interrupted by the conflict in South Sudan will have the chance to return to their studies over the next 12 months, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said here Thursday.

The "Back to Learning" campaign, which was launched in the South Sudanese capital of Juba on Thursday by UNICEF and President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan, will reach out-of-school children in all 10 states, including areas currently engulfed in conflict, UNICEF said here in a press release.

"For those sheltering in camps for internally displaced people or in host communities devastated by the war, where no education services are available, UNICEF and partners will provide a comprehensive package of education support for children aged three to 18 years of age," the press release said.

"This will include pre-school and basic education, catch-up programs for adolescents and psychosocial support in the classrooms," it said.

"Around 70 percent of the 1,200 schools in the major conflict states have closed raising grave fears that a generation of children could be left behind by the ongoing civil war," said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF representative in South Sudan. "Quality education is the single most important element for a country to develop economically, socially and culturally. It is also a critical human right."

The disruption caused by the war has compounded an already weak education system that at best, provided primary school for just 42 percent of school-age children and saw only a 10 percent completion rate.

As part of the 42-million-U.S. dollar campaign, UNICEF has partnered with 20 local and international non-governmental organizations and aims to reach 200,000 children in schools and learning spaces in the conflict zones.

An additional 200,000 children will be enrolled in 1,000 schools in non-conflict areas. Training will be provided for 4,000 teachers and early childhood development facilitators, as well as 1,500 Parent Teacher Association members.

"We have invested heavily in supplies and learning but we need an additional 12 million U.S. dollars urgently just to provide basic education kits to target schools," said Veitch. "This initiative will invest 100 dollars in every child's learning. It's a small cost for the hope and opportunity it brings." Endite