Lack of internships could harm post-conflict recovery

Students in South Sudan are angry and frustrated at the lack of internship opportunities in their country because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the problem is delaying the completion of their university education.

“We are still in a fragile state and in transition from [civil] war. It has been difficult to get internships or jobs,” said Samuel Arok, a third-year student of animal husbandry and breeding at Upper Nile University, in the town of Malakal.

“With COVID-19, many companies have opted for remote working, complicating the situation even further,” he said.

Arok told University World News that he was due to commence a six-month internship with a relief organisation last September (2020) in preparation for his graduation by the end of this year.

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell at the moment how or when I will be able to graduate,” he said.

“This course requires field interaction, but the organisation that offered me the opportunity withdrew it as they scaled down their in-person operations.”

Youths turn away from the military

Dr Tom Adek, a lecturer at Rumbek University of Science and Technology in Juba, the capital, told University World News that many South Sudan university courses require students to complete one or two internships to graduate.

He said universities needed to demonstrate their value through internships and enable their students to complete their studies, given their key role in peace-building as South Sudan recovers from its 2013-20 civil war.

“We have seen a lot of progress as far as stabilising the country is concerned [through] opening up the learning institutions … Youths who would otherwise provide the recruitment pool [for militant groups] have come to classes and denounce the war,” he said.

However, the lack of internships is weakening this strategy. Arok said he knows many fellow South Sudan agriculture students in his predicament.

As regards his sector, if the situation does not change, it will prevent graduates reversing the few gains the country’s livestock sector has achieved since the resumption of a fragile peace over the past two years.

“Despite the civil war, which decimated almost all our institutions, we have been on the road to recovery by growing the human resources needed to drive national reconstruction. But it seems all those gains are being washed away,” he said.

More effort needed to secure stability

In a briefing on March 3, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), informed the UN Security Council that, even though the transformation from conflict to recovery is under way, a great deal more effort is needed to secure “a peaceful and prosperous future” for South Sudan.

“The power vacuum at the local level has opened opportunities for spoilers and national actors who have exploited local tensions and fuelled violence,” said David Shearer, the then-head of UNMISS.

He pointed to “a worrying surge in violence” between various heavily armed community militia in Warrap, in the Bahr el Ghazal region.

“This violence and the COVID-19 pandemic is not only causing deaths but is also casting shadows over our future as South Sudanese youths,” said Abraham Mabor, a graduate of social science and economic studies at the University of Juba, in the capital.

COVID-19

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between January 3, 2020, and May 6, 2021, a total of 10,613 cases of COVID-19 were reported in South Sudan, with 115 confirmed deaths.

While this level is relatively low, there is a risk of under-reporting and the government has imposed partial lockdowns as a precautionary measure.

As of 4 May, the UN agency reported that Africa’s youngest nation had administered only 5,149 doses of C-19 vaccine to its 11.06 million people.

At the time of writing, both private and public sectors are required to make provisions to allow non-essential staff to work from home or have staff on alternate shifts.

“This means that all potential offices that could have taken students like us for attachment cannot, as it is impractical to take on interns when people are working from home,” Mabor said.

He said the worst affected disciplines are those in the hospitality sector and on technical courses, such as engineering.

“In my case, as a political science student, it is proving a daunting task to get internships, either from the government or any organisations, to secure hands-on experience in how government works, peacebuilding and conflict-resolution. To us, this is a drawback,” he added.

Mabor said the shortage of internships is also damaging the prospects of graduates securing jobs, meaning that many face the possibility of unemployment in future.

“Most graduates have in the past been absorbed into the job market after testing their skills during internships, but with these opportunities lost due to this pandemic, how and where will we be gauged and given jobs?” he said.

Organisations reluctant to take interns

Winnie Atieno Miseda, a Mombasa-based east Africa human resources consultant whose work includes South Sudan, and who currently heads the HR division of a major cargo tracking system company, said businesses are unlikely to take a risk by admitting students as interns to avoid possible liabilities if they or colleagues contract the disease.

“Each organisation is now saying ‘hold on a bit’ and that is understandable,” she said, speaking in a personal capacity.

“But what this presents is that some universities will start graduating their students without the necessary industry skills acquired through an internship.”

According to Miseda, internships provide a valuable opportunity for African students to build up confidence in the knowledge they have acquired in lecture halls in real-life workplaces. It also provides mentorships, sector networking and helps to guide career goals.

“With no institution allowing internships, there is a disconnect being created between universities and industry which, if not corrected, will harm the labour market in the long run,” she said, focusing on east Africa and South Sudan, in particular.

To make sure there is an uninterrupted transition from university to the job market and to have well-prepared graduates, Miseda called on firms in South Sudan to implement safety measures that enable them to take on interns.

She said that, even though many companies have scaled down their physical operations, they can still take in interns and have rotational staff guide them.

“COVID-19 isn’t easing any time soon,” she said. “Therefore, companies should think outside the box and mentor future personnel for their companies.”

Miseda added that university students pursuing administrative courses can still be work as interns in virtual working, saying all that is needed is proper on-boarding and coaching.

“This is the new normal,” she said. “Companies should explore means of offering students internships virtually, too.”

University shows a way

Rumbek University’s Adek said his university has opted to create internship opportunities for its students.

Students who have attained the necessary grades and are ready to progress to an internship but cannot get a placement are able to intern at the institution.

“We have been teaching our students, but finding internships has been a challenge and the situation has been compounded by this pandemic,” Adek said.

“As people who nurture students, we cannot just sit and do nothing, so we are trying to be innovative and giving our students the opportunity to have the hands-on industry feel just internally,” he said.

Adek called on the South Sudanese government to ease restrictions and attract more overseas investment, expanding the business community and creating more jobs.