Education officials in South Sudan’s Boma State say customs and traditional beliefs among some communities in the state is hampering girls’ enrollment in the schools.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, the state education minister Joseph Lelimoy, said girl child education in the state remains a challenge as parents are unwilling to send their daughters to schools.
He pointed out that they registered about 8,000 pupils in the state this year but mostly boys.
“Girls enrollment is still a problem in Pibor. The reason is that communities in the state especially those of Pibor belief that an educated girl will not generate income since girls are viewed as a source of bridewealth,” he said.
He added, “Sometimes the intake is higher in the lower classes but as girls reached class 4 they are forcibly married off. This is the reason that only two girls sat for class 8 in 2018.”
The education minister is appealing to the national government and education partners in the country to avail more resource for education in the state.