Garbu Primary School. (Photo: Alhadi Hawari).

The Garbu-Wurnyako community of Mangalla Payam in Juba County have built a modern primary school for their children after joining hands to raise 64,000 US dollars, ending years of under-tree studies by their children.

The village, located along the Nile river and east of Juba City, is sparsely populated as most of the natives abandoned their homes due to limited healthcare and education services.

The only primary school in the area had only two classrooms made of reeds, with most pupils learning under trees.

Over the years, local administrators said the area has hardly received budget from the state government to delivers services in the area, which is fraught with persistent land grabbing posing insecurity.

However, with the grand community-built Garbu Wurnyako Nursery and Primary school, residents are hopeful of a brighter future for their children.

Speaking during the school inauguration, village chairlady Victoria Flex Subek said the construction of the learning institution took 15 years of planning and resource mobilization.

In an interview with Eye Radio on Thursday, Ms. Felix encourages Central Equatoria State Minister of Education empower it with professional teachers.

“We need our minister of education to come personally and see this school and help us with teachers,” she said during the inauguration ceremony that saw well-wishers distributed school uniforms 228 pupils.

“We have eight classes which are ready with their furniture. We also have the old two classes and one office and this building was made of iron sheet because the number of the children become too much.”

“We cannot tell our children to go back home, that we don’t have space but by the grace of God and development committee of the village, we tried to build these three classes as you can see.”

William Ladu, the school headmaster, said the well-furnished school has eight classrooms and toilets.

“Our school started in 2022 at that time. We have only three classes in nursery class. We have two, we have to, and in primary, we have one class which is primarily one only, but we have your struggles.”

“In the new building, we have eight classes and one office Plus four toilets, the cost of these two buildings. The costs of the new building are 64,000 USD. Yeah, it is from the community of Garbo Village.”

Huda Micah Laila, the Minister of Gender and Social Welfare in Central Equatoria who represented State deputy governor Paulino Lokudu Obebe expressed her happiness with the new building.

She pledged to provide 100 dignity kits for school girls.

“I’m happy with this new structure building that completes the school. This social vulnerability is a cross-cutting issue. Whatever I saw even there, I will table it to the council of the ministers and you’ll see the results.”

“And before I can conclude this occasion, I want to say that because I’ve just been assigned to come sorry even not inviting me. I came in the capacity of the Excellency Deputy Governor. So, when I saw the program, I’m going to control me one hundred dignity kits to those vulnerable school pupils.”