Ruweng students departing for scholarship to India. (-)

The Chief Administrator of oil rich Ruweng area says his government is annually awarding scholarships to 15 students to study abroad while recruiting qualified primary and secondary school teachers using the oil revenue share.

Stephano Wieu told Eye Radio this week that the first batch of 15 students, including 11 boys and 4 girls, were sent to Vignan University in July 2023.

They are enrolled mainly in the faculties of engineering and computer sciences.

He said his administration considered the best students aimed at motivating more school enrolment and promoting quality education in the area.

“As the government of Ruweng Administrative Area for the first year, we have also awarded scholarship to 15 students, and this is from the small kind of oil revenues that we get,” Malek said.

“We have taken 15 students to India that is going to focus mainly on engineering, science and computer engineering, given the needs of the country, because we are not saying this time is not just study but what the country needs.”

Mr Malek said the administrative government will continue to sponsor the studies of best performing students in the future.

In another development, he said his government recruited over 40 young graduates and deployed them to primary and secondary school across the area.

“These are young graduates from the universities, absorbing them to the teaching sector and also with little pay rise, that we are giving just to retain them in the teaching sector.”

Malek said his administration is paying teachers between the range of 120,000 to 150,000 South Sudan pounds “to attract young people to come and teach in the schools.”

He said the teachers are being paid salaries between 120,000 and 150,000 pounds monthly.

According to Malek, there are 71 primary schools and 8 secondary schools in 8 Counties of the Administrative Area with over 60, 000 learners at both levels.