Journalist Ngor Deng Matem

Every year, thousands of South Sudanese parents make significant financial sacrifices to enable their children to sit the national Primary Eight and Senior Four examinations. Some sell livestock, borrow money, or forgo essential household needs simply to raise the examination fees required by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction.

National examinations are held toward the end of each academic year. Primary Eight examinations are usually conducted in late November, while Senior Four examinations take place between late November and the first week of December. However, the new academic year begins in January, long before the examination results are released.

This gap has become a recurring challenge. In most years, examination results are announced only in May or June. While the 2025 Primary Eight results were exceptionally released on 5 March 2026, the 2025 Senior Four results were not announced until 2 June 2026, nearly six months after candidates completed their examinations. Such delays continue to affect students’ transition to secondary schools, universities, and other institutions of higher learning.

The financial contribution made by candidates is substantial. In 2026, each Primary Eight candidate paid SSP 200,000, while each Senior Four candidate paid SSP 300,000 as examination fees.

Looking at the previous examination cycle illustrates the scale of the revenue collected. A total of 84,506 candidates sat the 2025 Primary Eight examinations. At SSP 200,000 per candidate, this represents approximately SSP 16.9 billion in examination fees.

Similarly, more than 45,700 candidates sat the 2025 Senior Four examinations between 1 and 9 December 2025. At SSP 300,000 per candidate, the estimated examination fees amount to more than SSP 13.71 billion.

Together, the two examination levels generate an estimated SSP 30.61 billion in examination fees within a single examination cycle.

These figures naturally raise important questions about how the funds are utilized.

One encouraging aspect of the examination process is the continued support provided by development partners. Every year, organizations such as UNICEF and UNESCO assist with the transportation and distribution of examination papers from Juba to the states and the three administrative areas. Their contribution reduces part of the logistical burden on the government and deserves recognition.

Yet, once the examinations are completed, a familiar explanation often follows. The Ministry of General Education and Instruction regularly attributes delays in releasing results to a shortage of funds needed to facilitate the marking of examination scripts.

This explanation raises legitimate questions.

If candidates collectively contribute more than SSP 30 billion in examination fees each year, are those fees intended to cover only the administration of examinations, or do they also include the marking of scripts? If marking is included, why do funding shortages continue to delay the process? If it is excluded, what specific services do the examination fees finance?

I am not making accusations against any institution or individual. Rather, I am raising questions that many parents, students, teachers, and education stakeholders have asked over the years.

Providing clear answers would strengthen public confidence in the education system. Parents who contribute these fees deserve to understand how the money is managed. Students deserve the timely release of their results so they can enroll in secondary schools, universities, teacher training institutions, and other higher education programmes without unnecessary delays.

Greater transparency could also help dispel public speculation. A detailed breakdown of examination fees and expenditure, together with regular public reporting on how the funds are allocated, would demonstrate accountability and improve trust in the examination system. If the funds collected are genuinely insufficient to finance the entire examination process, including marking, the Ministry should clearly explain the funding gap and indicate where additional government or partner support is required.

Education remains one of South Sudan’s most important national investments. A credible examination system depends not only on conducting examinations successfully but also on marking them efficiently and releasing results within a reasonable timeframe.

The questions therefore remain straightforward: Where do the examination fees go? What exactly do they pay for? And why does the marking process continue to face financial constraints despite the collection of more than SSP 30 billion from candidates each examination cycle?

Answering these questions openly would not only improve transparency but also strengthen public trust in one of the country’s most important public institutions and ensure that South Sudanese learners receive the timely educational opportunities they deserve.

Ngor Deng Matem, the author of this article, is a writer and journalist. The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views, editorial position, or policies of Eye Radio.