A high court in Yei River County has sentenced a 28 year old teacher to 7 years in jail for impregnating a primary school girl.

Security officers arrested Mr Ronald Lasu Alex of Lupapa primary school two weeks ago for making the 14 year old girl pregnant.

In court today, Ronald Lasu confessed he is responsible for the pregnancy of the underage girl, who was a fifth grader.

High court judge Obec Deyong Anyong presided over the court ruling.

He based his judgement on the Penal Code 2008 which stipulates that “A consent given by a man or woman below the age of 18 years shall not be deemed to be consent”.

“Ronald Lasu Alex is sentenced into imprisonment for a term of 7 years with effect from October 13, 2015 for contravention of section 247of the penal court of 2008,” Judge Anyong said.

“Number two, the convict is liable to pay 5,000 SSP to the complainant as a customary compensation to be recovered by civil means.”

Meanwhile, a woman activist has welcomed the ruling. Nadia Roseline calls for protection of girls in the country.

“We want our girls to study and become future leaders. Any teacher listening outside there should not do the same mistake,” Ms Roseline told Eye Radio.

South Sudan, which became independent from Sudan in 2011, has one of the world’s worst indicators for education.

A Unesco report…said there were more than 1.3 million primary school-age children out of school in the country, which is second-to-bottom in the world ranking for net enrolment in primary education and bottom of the world league table for enrolment in secondary education.

The situation for girls is particularly dire, it says. They are less likely to start school and more likely to drop out. Officials attribute to early marriage and teen pregnancy.