Education Minister Awut Deng Acuil. | Photo: Catholic Radio Network

The National Minister of General Education has directed state education officials and teachers to stop charging any fees on public school learners, warning it is a violation of President Salva Kiir declaration for free education.

South Sudan has the world’s highest proportion of out-of-school children, with 72 percent of children out of learning, according to UNICEF.

A 2020 World Bank report also indicated that only 48 percent of South Sudan youth are literate.

In January 2023, President Salva Kiir declared free education and directed relevant government ministries to ensure that primary and secondary education is free throughout the country.

The president said education is the priority of his administration and that the government has decided to impose free education to help families with high registration fees.

The policy was welcomed by civil society and rights groups, as an important step to help thousands of children return to learning.

However, the declaration has seen little to lack of implementation as many public schools continue to charge various fees on children.

Minister Awut Deng Achuil encourages state examination secretaries to obey the presidential order and ensure unhindered access to education for all children.

“Our state secretaries, I want you to take this very serious, please I don’t want any school in the states and three administrative areas to charge any fees,” she said during the launch of a digital results check platform in Juba, on Wednesday.

Awut reminded them that charging any fee is not only a violation of the law, but denies children from poor families a chance to have an education.

“You are there representing the Council and you should follow the rules and regulations of the council. We pay for certificate, we pay for the examination, we pay for transportation, I don’t know why our students are charged.”

“And when the president declared that education is free and compulsory, it is to help those who cannot make it to school, and we have so many who cannot pay these fees. So when they ask for fees, they deny the right to education for our children in the country.”

“So I want all our secretaries to know, please, the issue of charging a fee to get the results is a violation of the very laws guiding us.”

Teachers, like other civil servants in South Sudan have gone for more than ten months without receiving salaries.

A recent Eye Radio assessment has found that some public primary and secondary school teachers in Juba have reported low enrollment rate for learners in the academic year 2025, attributing the reduction to economy hardships facing families.