Lawmaker Ichaaa Joyce speaks during Tuesday sitting. | Photo: Moyo Jacob Felix.

A member of the national parliament is calling on the government to implement the Adult Education Program to help lawmakers who cannot read and write.

Ichaa Joyce said the program should be enforced in accordance with President Kiir’s directive during the reopening of the August House in March.

Ichaa said the adult education will measure MPs’ internal participation and raise their level of competency in deciding national matters.

“The President touched something on adult education for all dropouts which is very important, that in our nation, we should also have adult education specially for the dropouts specially in this parliament here,” Ichaa said during the parliamentary session in Juba on Tuesday.

“We have very many people who cannot understand, and who cannot even read and write because they need to be represented. Am not abusing, but this is from the experience that we had”.

Adult education is a disciplinary process targeting adults to improve their technical or professional qualifications, further develop their abilities and enrich their knowledge.

It includes but not limited to the improvement of civic, social, moral, religious, and cultural skills for progress in all spheres of life.

Earlier, the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, said South Sudan has the lowest literacy rate in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In South Sudan, more than 70% of the population above the age of 15 years is illiterate and majority of them are women.