Minister Madut Biar Yel past photo, courtesy

The Minister of Higher Education, Madut Biar, told Parliament on Tuesday that South Sudanese students sent abroad on government scholarships are performing below expectations despite achieving high grades in national examinations.

Madut Biar raised the concern while presenting the second reading of the National Examination Council Bill, 2026, in the National Parliament.

He said partner countries have reported weak academic performance among South Sudanese students, particularly in science programmes.

“We have two countries that gave us scholarships, Ethiopia and Morocco. We have been sending students with very high grades, 85 to 90%, to scholarship but they perform poorly. I got that report from my counterparts in Ethiopia and Morocco and that affects our status as South Sudanese because they give us fully funded scholarships.

“Particularly science students, unfortunately our students with those high marks perform poorly to an extent that those countries offering the scholarships say it is a loss even for them because they budget for it but they do not perform,” he said.

Madut said Ethiopia and Morocco, which currently host South Sudanese scholarship students, have communicated concerns over the students’ academic results.

 He urged Parliament to strengthen support for the education sector to improve the quality of learning and ensure students are better prepared for international academic standards.

Madut said improving education standards is necessary to produce credible certification and strengthen the country’s academic reputation abroad.