More boarding schools are needed in South Sudan to encourage more girls to enroll in schools, the deputy Minister of Youth in the national government has said.

There are at least four girls’ boarding schools in the country. She says boarding schools will prevent early marriages amongst young girls.

Josephine Napwon, who was speaking during the celebrations of the World Population Day in Juba yesterday, said many girls have dropped out of schools because of poverty.

She believes that early marriages would be minimal if more boarding schools for girls are established.

“I think through this, we will actually discourage the issue of girls not going to school,” Ms Napwon added.

The undersecretary in the Ministry of Labor, Hellen Achiro Lotara, urged the youth to engage in farming activities in order to fight unemployment.

“We have a fertile land, we always see we are getting food from the neighboring countries, if you organized this youth, they would be getting money and become self-employed,” she said.

The World Population Day is observed annually on the 11th July to raise awareness on the importance of population, reproductive health and youth empowerment.

South Sudan celebrated the event yesterday under the theme: “investing in Young People”.