Education Minister Awut Deng Acuil. (Photo: Anadolu Agency).

The Minister of General Education and Instruction has encouraged public schools to open bank accounts in order to receive their share of the free education grant that was released recently.

Awut Deng Achuil says schools with bank accounts will receive their shares of the capitation grant.

Minister Awut also told a gathering on the African School Feeding Day that eligible schools should not charge pupils and students any fees.

“We will give you full support, and as I have mentioned earlier the capitation grant is to help you,” she said.

“We have the guidelines, schools with accounts will receive the capitation grants directly and it will help you facilitate what you need in the school so we do not expect anybody to charge any child in South Sudan”.

Last month, the Ministry of Finance on the directive of President Salva Kiir released one billion South Sudanese pounds to support free education in the country.

The president ordered national and state authorities to fully implement the policy accordingly.

EDITORIAL NOTE: Earlier, we reported that the Minister of General Education and Instruction warns that government schools without bank accounts will not receive portions of the free education grant. We have apologized for having misquoted Honorable Awut Deng Acuil. The minister only said schools with bank accounts will receive their share of the capitation grant, and did not specify that schools without bank accounts will not receive the grant.