Arabic teachers in Wau register for English course

Over 100 Arabic teachers in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State have joined an intensive English course in Wau to maintain their jobs.

The participants will benefit from an English program dubbed ‘‘Go back to learn’’, which aims at training Arabic teachers to teach in English as the official language of instruction in the country.

Speaking during the launch of the six-month English course for Arabic teachers at Mbili National Teachers Training Institute, Western Bahr el Ghazal State governor, Sarah Cleto, said the teachers have a big role in teaching English.

She said the state teachers are well acquainted with Arabic, they could now have the choice of switching to English, which is the country’s official language.

“Learning does not have a limit. It is nothing new for you people. I know you are well-qualified teachers who are better in another language, and it is now time to learn another language and move on; perhaps better than someone who knows only one language, ” Governor Cleto stressed.

“I understand that we are better in Arabic. Some people can tell you that being an Arabic partner is your added advantage because it will not take much time for you to learn English than for an English partner to learn Arabic,” she said.

Commitment made

She said her government was committed to improving the education system in the state, adding that the course would be extended to all the counties.

The governor encouraged all registered teachers to take the course seriously, saying she hopes everyone will have learnt something in the next six months.

“With education, never give up, I am encouraging you to go back to school. Both men and women, you must graduate,” Cleto stated.

“There is a saying that if you want to destroy a country, then destroy the education system. But if you want to develop a country, you must invest in education. So, our target is to invest more in education, ” Cleto stated.

According to her, the initiative will last for more than 100 years and transform the sector.

“We cannot continue to claim that there is no money to pay the children in school but we have government schools, and they are free,” she said.

The State Minister of Education, Ujidio Arkangelo Sufu, said he was very optimistic the teachers would excel.

“These teachers you are seeing here are well qualified and experienced, but in 2014, the South Sudan government decided to change the language from its former Arabic language to English. [Now] what we are doing is to make them continue their job,” he said.

However, he stated that since the government chose English as its official language, the state government can do nothing more than establish English education and raise English standards.

“That is why we, as education officials, sat and decided that instead of bringing freshers, it would be easier to roll out experienced teachers for the English course, education minister,” Sufu said. 

More than one hundred teachers have registered for the training, the majority of whom are females.