Pupils taking Certificate of 2021 Primary School Exams - Credit | Charles Wote/Eye Radio | Feb. 14, 2022

More than 200 secondary school candidates in Unity state are likely to miss examinations next week, after the council reduced its centers in the area.

The state minister of education, Stephen Tot Chang says the students are from the three distant counties of Panyijiar, Mayiandit, and Koch.

This is after the national examination committee reduced the number of examination centers to 3, citing insecurities and poor transport networks.

The examination council reportedly told candidates from the three remote areas to sit for their exams in the state capital Bentiu, about 80 miles away.

“You know we are worried about three counties, Mayiandit, Koch and Panyijiar. Those counties have 208 candidates and those candidates are likely to miss exams because of the distance between Bentiu and those counties,” Tot told Eye Radio.

“They have been told to come and sit in the headquarters by the committee for examination.

“We are now negotiating with the committees to at least reconsider that decision of reducing centers to three. We will be pushing for another two centers, maybe that will be for Panyijiar and Mayiandit.”

Last month, authorities in Eastern Equatoria protested a similar reduction of examination centers from 27 to 3, a decision that was later reversed by the national Ministry of General Education.