Free education is a political game, Governor Futuyo on the policy
Governor Futuyo accused the government of delaying to pay teachers for more than one year, while expecting them to deliver services under the guise of free education
By Emmanuel Mandella
Western Equatoria State Governor, Alfred Futuyo, has criticized the national government’s free education policy, calling it a “political game” designed to block vulnerable children from accessing quality education in South Sudan.
The governor made the remarks at Yabongo Secondary School on Monday, December 2, as he rang the bell to officially begin the Senior Four National Examinations.
Governor Futuyo accused the government of delaying to pay teachers for more than one year, while expecting them to deliver services under the guise of free education.
“They said ‘free education,’ but teachers have gone for over a year without salary. How will they offer services to the children? My child and those of national government officials are studying in Kenya with dollars, yet they want the children of vulnerable families to rely on this so-called free education,” Futuyo stated.
He vowed that Western Equatoria State would not continue with free education and warned that he would refuse to participate in next year’s national examinations if the policy persists.
“I don’t want free education. If teachers and parents support it, I will not ring the bell for the national exam next year. Anyone who brings free education into this state should close all the schools and let teachers go home,” the governor said emphatically.
South Sudan’s free education policy was introduced to improve literacy rates among vulnerable populations, but implementation has been faced with a raft of challenges, including delayed teachers’ salaries, scarce learning materials and inadequate infrastructure.
The governor highlighted these issues, stressing that the lack of payment for teachers undermines their ability to provide quality education.
He proposed that schools introduce minimal fees to support teachers and improve the learning environment.
“It is better for children to pay something small to support teachers so they can offer quality education for the future of this country. This will also chase laziness and encourage parents to work hard,” Futuyo stated.
On the flipside, despite facing a raft of challenges, free education has opened up other brighter windows, especially for the vulnerable. The policy has enabled children from poor families to attend school without financial barriers, and aims to increase literacy levels in a country where educational access has been historically low.
In addition to encouraging more girls to enroll in school, free education has reduced the gender gap in education as female candidates lead in statistics this year in Western Equatoria State.
However, failure to pay educators continue to undermine morale and compromises the quality of instruction, as many schools lack adequate resources to accommodate the influx of students under the free education policy.
Critics like Futuyo argue that the policy is used as a political tool, neglecting the systemic issues affecting education.
The governor’s comments have sparked debate about the sustainability of free education in South Sudan, challenging education stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and policymakers to weigh in on the benefits and challenges of the system, and provide remedies.
As the debate continues, Governor Futuyo has vowed to stay firm on his position.
“It is better for children to pay something small to support teachers so they can offer quality education for the future of this country. This will also chase laziness and encourage parents to work hard,” WES State Governor, Alfred Futuyo.
