Students paraded at Supiri Secondary School before the 2022-2023 examination. March 20 2023. (Photo: Moyo Jacob).

The major cause for the poor performance of public schools in the 2022 secondary school examination has been blamed on a lack of motivation for teachers, the deputy minister has said.

On Thursday, July 13, 2023, during the announcement of the results by the National Examination Council, the Deputy Minister of General Education said private schools have performed better than public.

Martin Tako says low pay and lack of other necessary assistance are driving teachers away from the profession, resulting in a shortage of qualified staff mainly in public schools.

Speaking to the media, Tako also decries the lack of scientific and technical equipment such as laboratories for public schools.

He recommends that the government invests in the teaching profession by availing resources to enhance quality education.

“Ninety per cent of our teachers are volunteers, the rest of the teachers have gone for good salaries somewhere and that is individual rights, we cannot prevent anybody,” Martin Tako said.

“If we are facilitated, we have a fantastic program for uplifting the education in South Sudan but this program needs to be facilitated.”

According to the Institute of Development Studies, teachers in South Sudan remain poorly and irregularly paid – leading to qualified teachers deserting for better-paying jobs.

This has reportedly resulted in schools hiring primary and secondary school leavers with limited proficiency in English – the language of instruction.

Teachers have also been complaining about low pay and poor working conditions.