Graduate Madit Wai Ker was reportedly denied bid to scrap his Christian name "Joseph" out of his university degree. | Photo: Courtesy.

A graduate from the University of Bahr el-Ghazal has accused the institution’s administration of having denied him a request to change his name on the academic certificate despite judicial confirmation.

Madit Wai Ker was initially admitted to the university in 2012 with the first name Joseph.

But he said when he grew up, he realized that the name Joseph was given to him by his elder brother, and now he doesn’t want that Christian name.

“When I studied there, I decided to change Joseph out of my names, because that name is a church name, that Joseph is not my name and Madit is my name,” he told Eye Radio.

In 2017, Ker, a student at the College of Economics and Social Studies in the Department of Political Science, decided to drop the name during the final year of his advanced studies.

However, he said his supervisor directed him to make the changes after graduating in 2018 through the judiciary.

“When I talked to my supervisor while I was doing my research, I told him I want to drop Joseph out and then have another sure name out of the four names, and he told me you cannot change your name in the university. The university is not the starting place to change your name.”

In March 2022, he file the case with the Juba County Court, Department of Attestation which then granted his request.

But Ker said despite completing the required procedures, the University of Bahr el-Ghazal refused to make the changes.

“This year I went to the Court of Attestation in Juba and changed Joseph legally and I took oath in the court. The name was also corrected from the Directorate of Admission under the Ministry if High Education.”

“Those documents I sent them all to the University of Bahr el Ghazal and the university has refused and they said this is no go and they cannot process, they cannot change names and this will not happen.”

Having sat for the Sudan Certificate in Secondary Education, Ker also said he used the attention and requested the government in Khartoum to change the name and this was done.

When contacted, the University of Bahr el Ghazal Secretary for Academic Affairs Dr. Charles Eko Wani asked Madit Wai Ker to go to the school and get answers from the administration.

“I think he needs to come personally and get the answer from the administration, it is not my office but if there is anything it’s the administration of the university,” Wani told Eye Radio

According to South Sudan law, an individual can change their names through the Judiciary Department of Attestation by filing documents in court.

If the court approves, it then issues an order for the name change.