The Minister of General Education and Instruction, Awut Deng Acuil on Thursday warned learners across the country against engaging in examination malpractices known as ‘Machot.’
Machot is a Dinka language which means cheating.
Speaking during the launch of Arabic language and Islamic Religious Education textbooks in Juba, the minister urged learners to uphold integrity while writing national examinations.
“Children of South Sudan, if you love this country, have the same determination that your soldiers demonstrated to free you to be the first citizens then you should not be thinking of Machot at all,” she counseled. “Do not think about Machot at all because you are bright children and you are the leaders of tomorrow.”
Minister Deng said learners who cheat will not acquire knowledge to help them resolve the problems the country is facing.
“You do not go to school to be given Machot, you went to school to acquire knowledge to help resolve problems that are facing South Sudan,” she stated. “So, you are problem solvers, and do not wait in class that the teacher will give your Machot at the end of the day because it is not going to happen.”
There have been reports of examination fraud and malpractices in South Sudan’s education system. The examination malpractices shot up to an unprecedented scale since the country gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
In November 2023, the vice president in charge of the government’s service cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi, warned of tough punitive measures against individuals who might aid cheating in the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) across the country.
Vice President Abdelbagi ordered serious measures including cancelation of exams and prosecution of any person caught aiding exams cheating.