Removing educational barriers in South Sudan — and opening up a world of possibilities

As part of the Charlevoix Education Initiative, Canada is contributing to the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) project. The project aims to reduce the barriers that are preventing girls from attending school and is investing in teachers through its Accelerated Secondary Education Program (ASEP) (Government of the United Kingdom - DFID - Department for International Development, $17 million, 2019-2024).

Many teachers in South Sudan have not completed their secondary school education and are therefore not allowed to be certified as professional teachers. The ASEP offers a condensed program that enables primary school teachers to complete their secondary education in 2 years instead of the usual 4 years. Once individuals complete the program and pass their secondary school examinations, they are eligible to enrol in teacher training colleges. 

Since October 2022, 571 teachers have taken part in ASEP training. Of those, more than 400 have completed the South Sudan Certificate in Secondary Education examinations.

Betty is one of the teachers who has benefited from the program. Like many young women in South Sudan, she dropped out of school as a child because of financial challenges. Although she had been teaching for years, Betty was not a trained teacher.

“Recently, I completed my secondary education through the GESS Accelerated Secondary Education Program, which is meant for teachers who need to complete secondary education,” she explains. “Now, I can enrol in a teacher training institute if I like, and I will become a professional teacher. I am thinking about that.”