Teachers and students in South Sudan’s Yei River County say they expect high performance this year, after the introduction of feeding programs in schools.
Earlier this month, the ministry of education with support from Plan International South Sudan and the World Food Program announced a five-month food ration meant to boost students’ enrollment, performance and retention in schools within the state.
Yei River State is among other states in South Sudan badly affected by the ongoing conflict.
Hassan Haroon, a primary school teacher in Yei town, told Radio Tamazuj on Monday he hails the program saying enrolment rates have gone up since the start of the feeding program.
“I am very optimistic that this term three, if the food provision is going to continue throughout the years to come, we will have a great increase in performance. The number of learners in my school keeps on increasing, so I want to thank Plan International and WFP and call on them to continue providing more food such that we see the learners in schools than roaming on the streets without education,” said Haroon.
Haroon further said the program provides a healthy environment for teachers and students to teach and learn effectively.
“It will really have contentment in us because, once a teacher and pupil gets into the class satisfied, both of us will enjoy teaching and the learners will have interest to be in class. Secondly this food though it is specifically provided to the learners, we are also eating and it is boosting our teaching moral and teaching is now becoming the best profession,” he said.
Hassan called on WFP and Plan International to work hard and provide more food to other schools so as to reduce the rate of illiteracy in Yei River State.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Athong, a senior one pupil at St. Joseph’s Secondary School, appreciated the feeding program and called on her fellow students to come back to school for the betterment of the country.
“The importance of this feeding program is that, it will keep us moving to school every day, attend classes and reduce school dropout. My message to my fellow colleagues is that, let’s be at school so that we develop our nation for a better future,” said Athong.