Students pray before taking their secondary-leaving exams at Supiri Secondary School in Juba. (Photo: Moyo Jacob/Eye Radio).

More than 35,000 candidates of the year 2022/2023 started writing their Certificate of Secondary Education examinations across the country on Monday.

The 35,459 students including 12,539 girls and 22,920 males are taking the exams from 398 schools.

Simon Nyok, the Secretary General of the South Sudan Examinations Council said the statistics is slightly higher than that of last year, which recorded at least 32,167 candidates with 10,368 females and about 21,799 males.

“This year we have registered the highest number ever in secondary education exams and thirty-five thousand, four hundred and fifty-nine with over twelve thousand girls partaking,” he told journalists shortly after the ringing of the bell at Supiri Secondary School in Juba on Monday.

“So, we are happy, the number keeps rising, twelve thousand girls is a good number and we wish them all the best in their exams.”

Nyok stated that the ministry has been faced with challenges in reaching conflict-affected areas, particularly in Upper Nile State.

He however said the Examination Council has successfully delivered the test to all locations of the country through the help of partners.

“In terms of conflicts, we have not registered any concern, but we have been faced with serious challenges in connectivity, and road network.”

“There are places especially in Greater Upper Nile where we had difficulties in delivering exams but thank God with the help of our partners and our government, we have been able to reach all the corners of the country”.