Education authorities in the Abyei Area in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan complained of lack of teachers and schools as they strive to keep up with the current academic year.

Chol Ngor, head of the Education Department of the Abyei Administrative Area told Radio Tamazuj that education in Abyei is facing challenges as thousands of refugees return to the area.

With the first semester underway, there is a severe shortage of teachers and classrooms. According to Chol there is a big difference between the quality of education now and the way it was before the Sudan Army Forces (SAF) invaded Abyei in May 2011.

He stated that now there are 26 basic and secondary schools, but the lack of classroom space forces them to use the shade of trees. He counted the number of classrooms at 212 and the total number of the teachers at 227.

Chol Ngor explained that each classroom has one teacher while there is horrible congestion of pupils in the classrooms, where the number of pupils in one classroom can reach 150.

He however said that his department is striving to induce teachers who left Abyei during the war years to return. He also revealed that there is a plan to appoint approximately 30% of the total shortfall to reduce it to a shortage of 87 teachers, and appealed for organizations and all concerned parties to extend a helping hand to save education in Abyei.

Photo by Radio Tamazuj: Returnees in Abyei, 26 June 2012.