Vice President Hussein Abdelbagi speaking at the opening ceremony of National Secondary school Examination. March 20, 2023. | Abdelbagi/Facebook.

The Vice President for Service Cluster has announced plans to screen teachers in government-run primary and secondary schools across the country.

Hussein Abdelbagi Akol said he intends to lay off unqualified teachers and absorb qualified volunteers on the payroll.

“I am also going to know about your teachers, if they are qualified or not. If they are qualified, well, and good. But if they are not qualified, then I will bring qualified teachers to you,” he told thousands of learners who received him in Rumbek.

“I also came to know if there are volunteer teachers or not, and if they are there, we are going to confirm them so that they become your teachers.”

According to the Institute of Development Studies, teachers in South Sudan remain poorly and irregularly paid – leading to qualified teachers deserting for better-paying jobs.

This has reportedly resulted in schools hiring primary and secondary school leavers with limited proficiency in English – the language of instruction.

Teachers have also been complaining about low pay and poor working conditions.

Vice President Abdelbagi also said he is working with the Ministry of General Education to address the issue of overcrowded classrooms and schools.

In November 2022, the former Minister of General Education and Instruction said a big number of the current teaching workforce on the government payroll is incapable to deliver and should be sent away.

Deng Deng Hoc said without tangible proof that the ministry is relying on less skilled personnel as the majority of teachers have not attained university degrees.

According to him, 24,694 government-employed teachers are either low-qualified or totally unqualified and must be replaced.