Bishop Hiiboro urges teachers to build the nation, saying peace begins with education
Addressing College students, Bishop Hiiboro described teaching as a sacred mission rooted in humility, emotional discipline, and national responsibility.
By Emmanuel Mandella
Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio, His Lordship Barani Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, has urged teachers at the Solidarity Teachers Training College in Yambio to remain steadfast in their pursuit to build the nation.
He made the remarks during his courtesy call to the institution on Monday.
Addressing the students at the College, Bishop Hiiboro described teaching as a sacred mission rooted in humility, emotional discipline, and national responsibility.
“You are the light in the darkness of the human being, and a future enters your classroom each day. Mold it, cherish it, bless it,” he declared.
He drew a comparison between the teachers and prophets who often go unrecognized in their own communities.
His remarks resonated deeply with the students, many of whom hail from conflict-affected areas and poor family background.
He acknowledged their struggles, referencing widespread poverty, tribalism, and moral decay as challenges teachers must confront not just in the classroom, but in society.
“If we want to fix tribalism, injustice, laziness, and corruption, the field is right here, education, we must be born again like Nicodemus. South Sudan’s rebirth begins with you as teachers who go into the class every day,” he emphasized
Bro. Francis Zavier Aguan, the Principal of the Solidarity Teachers Training College (STTC), highlighted the challenges facing education in South Sudan, such as low teacher salaries, insufficient infrastructure, and a lack of trained educators.
However, he said the institution remains committed to shaping future leaders.
“All our tutors are highly qualified, overqualified and we instill in our students the notion that when they enter a classroom, they’re entering into the future and our language here is solidarity,” Bro. Francis said.
Currently, the college hosts 95 student teachers of whom are 45 female from across South Sudan.
One of the student teachers, Irene Florence, who traveled from Juba to study in Yambio said, “Being here at Solidarity Teachers Training College has changed my life.”
“I have come to realize the value of being a teacher not just as a job, but as a builder of peace and hope in a given Nation.”
As South Sudan continues to grapple with post-conflict recovery, insecurity, and systemic inequality, Bishop Hiiboro urged the students not to look down on themselves.
“If we invest the right things in the future through education, we guarantee peace, leadership, and a better tomorrow for this nation.”
The Solidarity Teachers Training College is a church-run higher institution of learning based in Yambio.
“If we want to fix tribalism, injustice, laziness, and corruption, the field is right here, education. We must be born again like Nicodemus,” said Eduardo Hiiboro, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Tombura-Yambio.
