Academic activities have come to a halt in Kuajok National Secondary School in Warrap State due to a strike over the school curriculum.

Nearly 300 students in senior three are on strike in demand for the Sudanese curriculum.

They want to finish their studies by sitting for the Sudan school certificate without going to senior four.

“South Sudanese are claiming that their syllabi must be taught but they don’t have syllabus. They just go and bring Uganda Syllabus and they say these are South Sudanese syllabi,” argued Deng Anei, students’ representative.

“Are we Ugandans? We are South Sudanese and if we are South Sudanese we must have our curriculum. But we do not have curriculum. Before we have a curriculum, we are supposed to be taught CCK because this is where we come from. We came from Sudan. We didn’t come from Uganda.”

The state government says the South Sudan curriculum is a provision of the constitution.

Education Minister Victor Atem Atem says the government will not amend the constitution to accommodate the Sudanese curriculum.

He says the ringleaders of the strike are soldiers.

“Behind them are some soldiers in this school who are trying to be in hurry such that they complete and go back to barracks,” Mr Atem said.

This not the first time students from Kuacjok National Secondary School are protesting against South Sudan curriculum.

Last year, the students who are now in senior four went on strike in demand of the Sudanese curriculum to finish their secondary school studies in senior three.

More than 1,000 students in lower classes have been forced to stay at home due to the strike.

South Sudan is phasing out the Sudan syllabuses and curriculum, with with the last batch of candidates sitting Sudan School certificate slated for the end of this month.