Warrap State education officials say more than 50,000 primary and secondary schoolgirls will benefit from the recently disbursed funding from the United Kingdom and education partners to support girls’ education in the country.
The Girls Education South Sudan (GESS) is a project to increase enrolment and retention of girls in schools across South Sudan.
“It benefits children in so many ways. First, it retains girls in schools and encourages and increases the enrolment of girls to the education sector because it enhances them to buy their essential needs like sanitary hygiene materials and other school materials as well,” Kuanyin Wek Kuanyin, Warrap Education Partners’ coordinator said. “The number of girls who benefited from this GESS is 55,334 in Warrap state including Abyei Administrative Area and it involved girls from primary five to senior four and it supports every girl there, whether the girl is in adolescent age or not.”
Warrap State education minister Kuot Deng Kuot confirmed that the incentives have been distributed to school girls in the state as he thanked the education partners.
“The payment kicked off on Monday last week and the expected number of girls to benefit is 55,330. It is aimed to keep girls in school and attract more girls to enroll in schools. I thank and appreciated the UK government as the leading partner of education and European Union as a body for supporting the government of South Sudan, education sector,” Deng said.
Some of the girls who received their incentives spoke to Radio Tamazuj.
“This money will help us in many ways. People are not the same, there are some poor students and it will help them buy sanitary pads and others. I received SSP 8,400 because I am a candidate. It will help me buy always (sanitary towels), school materials and I will not disturb my parents to buy me other things I need. I appreciate GESS for giving us money,” Abuk Bulis Maker from St. Augustine secondary school said.
“We have received some money from the organization and it will help me buy anything I want and pay school fees which was not cleared to help my parents,” Adult Anei, from St. Joseph Primary School said.
Nyanaguek Dut Ayuel from St. Augustine Secondary said: “This support will help me buy things without asking my parents to do so as I have been asking parents to buy for me. It will also encourage girls who do not go to school to come.”
“I am by name Emilia Sabino Deng from Comprehensive College I received SSP 5,600 and I will buy sanitary pads and continue to finish my school,” another student said.
For his part, the minister of education in Abyei, Ajak Deng, said he had been notified of the disbursement of the GESS incentives saying he hopes the distribution of the incentives will take place this week.
According to GESS, the 2021 cash transfer process began last week and is expected to reach about 460,545 girls across the country.
Girls in candidate classes – Primary 8 and Senior 4 – will receive a higher amount of SSP 8,400 to assist them in the lead-up to examinations while girls in Primary 5, Primary 6, Primary 7 and Senior 1, Senior 2, and Senior 3 will receive SSP 5,600.