Parents in the disputed area of Abyei between South Sudan and Sudan have welcomed the cancellation for registration fees for pupils in Abyei schools.

Previously, schools in Abyei were charging 50 SSP per puppil to register for the 2015 academic year, claiming directives from education department in the region.

Abyei's Director General of Services and Social Affairs Alor Dou El Beit cancelled that fee after inspecting primary schools in Abyei.

“If there is any challenge facing any school here, parents are the ones to decide the amount they can pay, not the school administration," he said, noting that the South Sudan Constitution stipulates that education should be free. "Nobody should take money from an orphan or poor families."

One mother who has children in school told Radio Tamazuj she appreciated and welcomed the decision to cancel that 50 SSP fee registration.

“The decision taken was right and who may hear it will appreciate it because of the economic situations in the country," she said.

Another mother of school aged children said the fee cancellation will help widows and women with low income.

Head teacher of Abyei Primary School Kat Mayol Marang, said his school was charging parents for register so that the school could provide school supplies while waiting for learning materials from the National Ministry of Education in Juba.

He also said the teachers face difficulty with transportation to school because their residences are far.

Mayol said they have registered over 400 pupils, both boys and girls, since 2 February and that classes will begin this week.

Related:

Poor families in Abyei say unable to pay school fees (20 Feb.)