Ekip
22 November 2017•Update: 23 November 2017
By Parach Mach and Arek Lual
JUBA, South Sudan
The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) is supporting education in an effort to eradicate illiteracy in war-torn South Sudan, according to an aid agency official Wednesday.
Turkish ambassador to South Sudan and TIKA country representative met University of Juba vice chancellor to discuss opportunities for supporting the university.
“In education, we have projects, with state and national ministry to support primary and secondary schools like constructing some additional classrooms for students,” TIKA country representative to South Sudan Yahya Acu told Anadolu Agency in capital Juba.
Five decades of war and upheaval in South Sudan has had an inevitable impact on education -- almost three-quarters of adults in the world's newest country are unable to read or write.
According to a recent report released by the Overseas Development Institute, less than 2 percent of the population has completed primary school education in the country.
We will sit and talk about possible projects like capacity building and supporting the university’s departments in the coming days, Acu said.
He added TIKA was working hard to help the country’s poor education system by carrying out projects.
The Turkish ambassador to South Sudan, Hasan Asan, confirmed Turkish government’s commitment to agreement signed with government of South Sudan earlier this year.
"We have an ambitious vision, and we are ready to cooperate with partners who are willing to support the university," Vice Chancellor Prof. John Akech said.
Akech also explained other challenges they were facing such as lack of consistent power.
Conflict in South Sudan has sent nearly 4 million people over homeless and three-quarters of South Sudan’s children are out of school.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund, 70 percent of children aged between six and 17 years have never set foot inside a classroom, and that only one in 10 children complete primary school.
