South Sudan’s Vice President for the Service Cluster, Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, has given a four-week ultimatum for people squatting on school lands across the country to vacate.
Speaking during a press conference in Juba on Monday, Akol said several structures have been built on and around public schools across the country.
“To end this impunity and to return the stolen school lands to the government, I wish to inform the general public that all illegal occupants of school land are hereby notified to vacate within four weeks from now,” he said.
The vice president said failure to adhere to the directive will lead to the demolition of the illegal structures erected on school land.
“The government will apply the law against those who refuse to adhere to the stated order and demolition of illegal buildings across the country will be carried out in compliance with court directives,” he said.
Akol directed state authorities to provide detailed information on school land that is illegally occupied.
“The government has noted that squatters have encroached on school land in Juba city, major towns in the states across the country, and indeed in remote areas,” Akol said. “They (trespassers) have unfortunately turned these premises into business places instead of learning areas.”
For her part, Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education, said the practice hurts the future of the learners.
“This is something to do with our nation and the future of our children and you have children in those schools,” she said. “So, it is you (media) to deliver the message of the vice president as it is.”
In November 2022, a section of Juba One Girls and Boys Primary and Secondary School was turned into a business centre.