Agak Acuil, Finance Minister and Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba during the budget reading in Juba. | 3rd August 2022. | Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio.

The Education Sector has been allocated an increased budget of more than 107 billion pounds for the first time in the annual national budget.

The figure was allocated from the 1.3 trillion pounds budget presented to the transitional national legislature in Juba on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, public expenditure on education in South Sudan is one of the lowest in the world.

The sector is said to be suffering from low investment and low capacity, with its administration and management weakened by conflicts.

The Minister of Finance and Planning, Agak Achuil said the government is committed to give education sector more attention.

“The total expenditure proposal for the financial year 2022/2023 is 1.3 billion SSP.  The education sector is given 107.8 billion SSP, the health sector is allocated 33.7 billion SSP. The infrastructure sector is given 12.5 billion SSP,” said Agak.

The finance minister said, the budget prioritizes the implementation of the revitalized agreement and infrastructural development.

About ten sectors in the government namely – the Health, Economic, Education, Infrastructure, Natural Resources, Public Administration, Rule of Law, Security and Social and Humanitarian Affairs  have been allocated different shares.

Public Administration sector scoops the highest budget of 117.3 billion pounds, while the Accountability sector received the least budget of 2.3 billion pounds.

The national constitution states that basic education “must be free and compulsory to all children in the country.”

It also expects the government to encourage a culture of innovation, develop and promote a general scientific approach in education.

It is also envisioned in the constitution that by the year 2040, South Sudan should be an educated and well-informed nation.

To achieve South Sudan Vision 2040, government institutions such as the Ministry of Education are mandated to develop and implement human resource management, financial and asset accountability systems to guide actions of education managers at all levels.