The acting Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, Prof. Majok Kelei Deng, warned settlers residing on university land to leave within the next three weeks.
“Dr.John Garang administration is giving a warning to the public occupying this land illegally to remove any building or structure from this land within three weeks,” Kelei Deng wrote in a letter to the settlers on Wednesday, February 22, in Bor.
It is estimated that more than 70 families live on university land. Akech Deng, residing near the university, believes her structure is not on university grounds, adding: “Where do we go? We do not have anywhere to go.”
The university’s Head of Media and Communication, Ayiei Charles Atem, told Radio Tamazuj that the university administration talked to the occupants but they refuse to vacate the land without providing any reason.
According to Atem the letter was the last warning, and once the three week deadline has passed, the university will take legal procedures against the occupants. He added that some of the settlers have already started to construct concrete houses.
The Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology is one of five public universities in South Sudan. When South Sudan became independent in 2011, there were hopes that higher education, and education in general, would top the national priority list.
However, violent conflict and strikes over unpaid salaries have paralysed studies at public universities in South Sudan. Students spend many years to complete their studies. Some courses that normally take four years end up taking double the time or even more.
Photo: The gate of the Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology in Bor, February 23, 2017. (© Radio Tamazuj)