By Khamis Cosmas Lokudu

khamiscosmas@gmail.com

Schools and high Institution of learning remain closed, allowing huge number of children and university students not attending classes, the temporally move of shutting down educational sector aims to curtail the spread of  coronavirus given the large  grouping in the learning set up.

English, Mathematics and sciences classes kicked off over Radio Miraya (101) and (105) South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation for the two weeks of May 2020 in an attempt to cover the missing gap by the learners in South Sudan. 

Wani James Logos, Deputy Head Teacher of Glorious Nursery and Primary School qualified coronavirus to have caused undesirable effects on the learning system in primary and secondary schools plus the Universities. 

Basically on primary schools, it’s hard for the pupils to read on their own because they need guidance of their teachers and in that regard, the pupils are much more disadvantageous given the shutdown of the school due to coronavirus. However, students of secondary schools and Universities should get into their books and continue reading on their own in order to learn ahead of time he stressed.

Commenting on the program of airing online classes for Primary and high school, James said he really doubt how appropriate could that program help the whole nation because there many areas in South Sudan which does not have access to Radio, the technology set up in the country has not gone to that level where children can sit and have access to Radio, some families do not have even single portable radio in their houses, anyway, it’s a good trial he presumed. 

“If this program continues, few pupils and students will benefit, while majority of the students in the country will not benefit from this program James said.

In brief remark, Simon Lagu a student at the University of Juba said coronavirus has affected the ability of both pupils and students in the country, he believed airing classes through the Radio limits students feedback and it requires strong self-motivation and time management from the learners themselves.  

To remind you, it was on Thursday 9th April – 2020 where Hon Awut Deng South Sudan’s Minister of General Education thought, arrangements were in place to present distance classes in response to the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

That week, she urged the parents to compel their children to listen to Radio at the planned timing because classes will be conveyed in the morning and in the evening as well. 

Article 36 subsection (3) of South Sudan Transitional Constitution, 2011, (amended) says the security and the welfare of the people of South Sudan shall be the primary duty of all levels of government