Madam Jermana Zakaria with the first two winners - Wau. April, 2013.

Children in Wau County are using painting as a way of erasing some of the painful memories of war.

The Ministry of Education in Western Bahr El-Ghazal State says it is introducing fine art in primary schools in order to help children create images of peace.

On Thursday the Ministry organized the first fine art competition for children between the age of 13 and 15. 11 schools from Wau County participated.

Two boys from Buluk Primary School won the first and the second positions.

“Nowadays, schoolchildren concentrate in academic subjects only and there are no other activities, and people do not know that a child is rich with talents that need to be developed that is why I thought it was very important to include fine art in school curriculum in order to help these children discover their talents,” said Madan Jermana Zakaria Goy, an education expert at the ministry.

“This will help give up the idea of everybody likes a gun which encourages war.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Peter William Kur, a teacher in charge of extra-curricular activities at Buluk Primary School, said he was happy that his school had won the first two trophies.

He urged the National Government in Juba to include fine art in school curriculum, because those who designed the new curriculum for South Sudan left it out.