Simon Nyok Deng, Secretary General of South Sudan National Examination Council speaking during a media briefing in Juba on Wednesday - Nov 2nd, 2022 - Photo: Charles Wote/Eye Radio

The National Examinations Council has warned some state officials and school administrators who have overcharged primary and secondary school candidates registering for exams and ordered them to refund the extra money. 

The council says it has discovered some schools were collecting between 30,000 and 40,000 South Sudanese pounds from the candidates.

This is contrary to the guidelines it issued mid-last last month which required senior four candidates in public schools and private schools to pay 7,000 and 10,000 pounds respectively.

While primary eight candidates in public schools and community girls’ schools must pay 5000 pounds.

The examination council has particularly accused Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Equatoria States of not following the guidelines.

Simon Nyok Deng who is the secretary general of the council says any collections made beyond the state mounts must be refunded.

“We learn with great dismay that schools and states are levying high fees that are not within the provision of the law and here they are,” said Nyok.

“I have to repeat it again, for those entering for primary school examinations, they are charged with only 5,000 pounds. We understand the situation our country is going through so we must maintain what is within the law,

“We have learned that there are schools that are charging over 30,000, 40,000 this is out of context, this is out of the law, and it must stop,

“Those who have collected what is stipulated in this law have to repay back the money.”

He also warned that schools that continue to violate the guidelines will have their licenses withheld and will not be granted examination centers.

However, education authorities in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State say there have not been any additional charges imposed on the candidates in the state.

Santino Bol Akot says learners will only be paying the examination fees as directed by the national examination council.

“At our level in the state, we have some activities that may be carried out during examinations and so we proposed a budget and presented to the minister of finance and the minister shared it with the governor and the governor has taken responsibility that the state government will be responsible for activities on the ground,” Bol said.

“There is no additional charge to the students. They will only pay for the mandatory fees to be sent to Juba.”

The authorities had on Tuesday issued an order directing county education directors, municipal officials, and school headmasters in the state to adhere to the National Examinations directives.