Ministry of education in Northern Bahr El Ghazal state has shut down seven primary and secondary schools accused of violating the academic year calendar.
The schools ordered to remain closed included Ayii Duang, New Life Ministry, Ayaktiit, George W Bush, Jupiter, and Nyamlel Central, all of which are located in Aweil West County.
The Director-General in the state ministry of education, Santino Bol Akot, says the schools listed above have started teaching before the officially planned academic registration in April 2022.
He said these affected institutions would remain closed until they accept to comply with the Country’s education system calendar.
“They re-opened the schools without permission from the state ministry of education, not following the education calendar of South Sudan. We have stopped them, and they will not operate this year,” he said.
Some of the schools affected say they received suspension letters but denied that they had operated without government directives.
Maduok Deng is the Headteacher of Ayii Duang primary and secondary school. He said the schools would remain closed as ordered by the authority, but students would face the consequences.
“We informed Payam’s supervisor about our operation, and he is supposed to communicate with the state ministry of education. We don’t operate out of the state ministry policy.”
Barnaba Dut Diing is the headteacher of New Life primary and secondary school. He says private schools provide quality education to the children, and the closure will create a gap due to limited education facilities.
“We closed our schools in early December after completing the syllabuses and giving the exams successfully. Our government should appreciate us for services that we are delivering.”
The school administrations urge the state ministry of education to form an investigation committee to gather more information on the affected schools.