The Government of the United Kingdom has, through its aid arm, donated $68.4 million for girls in South Sudan.

Kuyok Abol Kuyok, the Undersecretary in the Ministry of General Education, told reporters in Juba on Wednesday that cash transfers to all the 32 states target girls from Primary 5 to Senior 4 who are at risk of dropping out.

Reportedly, girls will receive 4,100 SSP, apart from those in P6, P8 and S4, who will receive 2,100 SSP. Those in P8 and S4 will receive another 2,100 SSP in November to help them with their final examinations.

“More than 288,000 girls across the country have been validated to receive the payment. The first payment started this week to all girls. This payment is for last year because they didn’t get the payment,” Kuyok said.

Kuyok further said the cash transfer program in South Sudan would help girls remove the financial pressure of going to school, as well as encourage enrollment, regular attendance and retention of girls in school.

 “Girls face increased social and culture pressure to drop out of school to enter employment or to get married. These poor educational outcomes have negative effects on South Sudan’s economy and increase levels of inequality,” he stressed.

Kuyok said girls make up 45.44% of total enrolment in 2019. However, in secondary school, this drops to 38.7% using 2019 enrolment data from South Sudan’s school attendance monitoring system, showing the increased pressures girls face as they get older.

 “Girls Education in South Sudan program (GESS) and the Ministry of General Education would like to highlight that strict measures are in place to ensure money goes into the hands of validated girls,” Kuyok said.

“Parents are encouraged to attend school on the day of disbursement to protect against the misuse of funds and to ensure the security of their daughters,” he stressed.

The project will last for five years, according to the education official.

UPDATE: This story has been updated at 12: 05, 22/8/2019 with information about the plan to pay girls in P8 and S4 in November.