Authorities in Ere County in South Sudan’s Lol State have expressed concerns over the prolonged shortage of teachers in the county.
Dukumi Abakar Abdel-Aziz, the commissioner of Ere County, told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday that the only primary school in his area has been weakened by acute lack of teachers.
“We are facing an acute shortage of teachers. We lack facilities but the school is operational despite the challenges,” he said.
The local official further said shortage of teachers is the biggest challenge facing the education sector in the county.
He says poor roads and lack of trained medical personnel are affecting service delivery in his county. Abdel-Aziz complained of a severe shortage in veterinary medicines, especially anti-rabies drugs.
“We also don’t have mobile networks here. We want to be connected to the other counties and states,” he said.
Separately, the commissioner said his administration had received 50 households who returned from neighboring Sudan in January.
The returnees, most of whom are seeking shelter in the county, are in need of emergency assistance in the form of basic services, according to Abdel-Aziz.
He pointed out that the influx of people returning home is straining communities suffering from lack of food and other services. He appealed to international organizations to support the needy people in the area.
The commissioner said the security situation was stable in his county, citing good relations with members of the Rizeigat nomadic tribe in neighboring Sudan.
“We have signed an agreement with members of the Rizeigat tribe and now our security is very good,” he said.
Ere is a hard-to-reach area with no good roads linking it to other areas of Lol State.