Akuja de Garang, the team leader of Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) - Credit | Eye Radio/Lou Nelson | July 06, 2022

The team leader of Girls’ Education South Sudan has called for encouragement and support for girls’ education in the country.

Akuja de Garang said this will help and enable them to become positive contributors to society.

Today is the National Girls’ Education Day.

The day was designated in 2004 by the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior to keep girls’ education on the Government of South Sudan’s agenda.

On that day in 2004, he lit a candle and said, “Let’s keep the candle burning for girls’ education”.

Every year on this day, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, GESS, and partners aspire to continue the late legacy of Dr. John by highlighting the unique barriers girls face in gaining an education in South Sudan, celebrating progress made, and taking stock of what more can be done.

In South Sudan, girls, particularly in rural areas and disadvantaged states, show lower educational attainment than boys and are at a high risk of early and forced marriage (Plan International, 2022).

Speaking to Eye Radio on Wednesday, Akuja de Garang called on the government, parents, stakeholders, and partners to support girls enrolling in schools.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure that our girls are enrolling in school, are staying in school, and are completing school,” Akuja de Garang said.

“If we are aspiring to be a progressive and peaceful nation, girls need to be counted and they need to be counted in school, in society, and at home,

“Education, as we know, is a key motivator, but a key enabler of them being a positive contributor to the society.”

To date, GESS has supported more than 880,000 girls with cash transfers to help them overcome financial barriers to education by allowing them to purchase essential items such as uniforms, sanitary products, and transport.

This year, we celebrate National Girls’ Education Day under the theme: ‘’Creating a safe and enabling learning environment for girls’’.

Over 3,500primary schools and 230 secondary schools received capitation grants to help supplement running costs and improve the learning environment for both girls and boys.

GESS is also leading change in the area of behavior change in the areas of girls’ education and disability inclusion.