Amid instability and fragility, universities push for reopening

South Sudan is struggling to deliver a plan to reopen its higher education sector in September, just as the country is emerging from civil war. The latest push follows an abortive attempt to pull South Sudan’s universities out of lockdown in May.

It is hoped that Gabriel Changson Chang, the new minister of higher education, science and technology, will allow South Sudan universities to reopen next month. He is the third minister to hold that office since January 2020. Yien Oral Lam Tut was the country’s higher education minister until a new government of national unity was formed in February 2020. He was replaced by Denay Jok Chagor, who was replaced by Changson in July.

Changson will have to respond to calls for flexibility from a higher education sector that has sought to build up virtual learning capacity almost from scratch since COVID-19 struck in March. According to Worldometer data, by 11 August, South Sudan had registered 2,472 coronavirus cases, 47 deaths and 1,175 recoveries.

‘We can’t sit and do nothing’

University of Juba Vice-Chancellor Professor John Apurouot Akec told University World News that despite the continuing pandemic, his and other higher education institutions in South Sudan plan to reopen: “The pandemic has affected learning across the entire world. It has devastated our sector in South Sudan, but we can't just sit and do nothing,” he said.

The University of Juba has been pressing the government to allow all first-year and final year students from science-based schools and departments to be taught in small classes with teaching contact hours reduced to 50%. Humanities, arts and social science-based courses would be delivered via internet-based home-schooling. Akec said Juba would be prepared to offer virtual-only teaching if the government would not allow this hybrid model.

He said a special university taskforce had been researching available technologies for online and distance learning, as well as institutional ICT readiness. “We have engaged different technology suppliers to explore how we may improve our digital infrastructure. By 31 August 2020 we will start teaching, either via the hybrid model or by virtual-only classes. The university has developed sufficient professional capacity to deliver online classes.”

ICT challenges

If the government agrees, South Sudanese higher education institutions will be allowed to reopen for the first time since they were locked down in March. While Akec acknowledged the country's weak ICT services and ICT illiteracy among students, he said: “South Sudanese universities should see these challenges as opportunities to close the digital divide and catch up with the rest of the world."

For that to happen, especially outside the capital Juba, heavy investment is needed in ICT infrastructure and training of academics, said David Masua, the South Sudan-based executive director for education charity Windle Trust International, which works in Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, promoting higher, secondary and primary education within conflict zones.

Masua stressed that should more government budget be allocated to higher education and academic salaries, South Sudanese universities would have a chance of success, even during the pandemic. “Investing in the higher education sector in the aftermath of the war and during the current COVID-19 situation would be a great gift to the citizens of South Sudan,” he told University World News.

Universities outside Juba in crisis

There are, however, significant doubts among some academics that such progress can be made in universities outside the city of Juba, for example, Bahr el Ghazal University, Upper Nile University, Rumbek University and Dr John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, which closed during the civil war, while Juba remained open.

Speaking in his private capacity, Kachuol Mabil Piok, a political science lecturer at the University of Juba and analyst on security issues, told University World News: “The future for higher education in South Sudan is still fraught with uncertainty. Weak infrastructure, limited resources, labour migration and a failure of the government to prioritise education will hurt us in the wake of COVID-19,” he said.

Michael Arok, a social science lecturer at Rumbek University, said there was hope that the new minister would deliver, given his political standing as the leader of the South Sudanese Opposition Alliance (SSOA) and chairman of the Federal Democratic Party (FDP) in the current unity government.

"The sector has had many challenges, partly caused by uncertainties in ministerial leadership. We hope Changson will be the voice of universities in the cabinet", said Arok. He urged the minister to support universities in their plans to resume teaching and learning.

Masua was optimistic, saying Changson “has ambitious plans to reform the higher education sector”. He stressed that these needed to be backed with money to avoid “a vicious cycle of challenges” for the sector.

Focus on security

The government's preoccupation with maintaining peace and security in areas outside Juba is preventing it from focusing on educational standards. Private universities, such as the Catholic University of South Sudan, the Episcopal University, St Mary’s College and branches of overseas institutions such as Stafford International University, Star International University and Kampala University, are finding it particularly difficult to deliver quality education, Masua said.

"Limited facilities ... and overcrowding prior to COVID-19, are presenting the higher education sector in South Sudan with the daunting task of operating in a way that will meet student needs. COVID-19 will be a threat to the higher education sector in South Sudan if a quick investment is not made either by government or development partners,” he said.

The ministry of higher education, science and technology did not reply to questions from University World News about the September reopening deadline. The ministerial changes have not helped. They reflect South Sudan’s fragility rather than any lack of aptitude for the job. However, Masua stressed that they indicate a lack of stability in Sudan's higher education sector.