Suspended Yirol East official cries out for help

The former Yirol East County Education Supervisor, who reportedly blew the whistle on graft, is now decrying joblessness. 

Mager Achiengwei, who served at Pagarau Payam, told City Review that the Director General had ignored his case by not reinstating him to his job since his suspension. 

“I had been asking the new director to employ me, but he has refused. I have been staying at home since, “he said.

He complained that life had become so hard for him and his family because he was only surviving on the salary he received from his education supervisory job.

 He called on the government of Lakes State to look into his case and reinstate him to his work.

Arrested

In January 2022, Mager was arrested after he accused Yirol East County Education Director of misappropriation of Girl Education South Sudan funds.

After his arrest, his fellow supervisors threatened to reveal all the scandalous reports if the authorities failed to release Mager.

“He was arrested in the morning (on Tuesday) after being called by the director-general to receive the incentives for one of the teachers. He was detained by the state security in Rumbek,” said a source who preferred not to be identified for security reasons.

“But if they continue to detain him, we are not going to hide anything again. We will reveal everything that we did not want to report.”

Before his arrest, Mager claimed that he had been receiving threats from state authorities for revealing the alleged misuse of funds.

 “I have been facing threats for posting the report on social media and also talking to the media about the misuse of education funds.” They have also detained my salary for the same reason, “he stated.

The report

Last year, Lakes State Minister for General Education and Instruction, Kongor Deng Kongor, reportedly dropped the case of the GESS scandal, after he reshuffled the education directors in the state.

Mager accused Sabino Mabor Aleng, former Yirol East County ducation Director, in December posting on social media a report purporting that girls’ cash transfers had been misused, some girls not paid, and ghost names considered by some head teachers.

“The community contribution fee of SSP 7.5 million is contributed at 3,500 per child in the school for the whole year so that it can support teachers when salaries are delayed.” This money is given to the director instead of us, the supervisors, collecting it,” he complained.

He claimed the county education director and his team took advantage of girls who were absent while the cash transfers were being issued, taking SSP 7.5 million. He further accused the director of selling school bags and blackboards donated to the schools by UNICEF.

The former state education minister told The City Review that he would investigate the issue but instead, pardoned the accused county director, and only transferred him.

According to Mager the total number of teachers was 81, with each teacher receiving SSP 21400, making the total amount alleged to have been wasted stand at 1,733,400.

In November 2021, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced support to 930,538 girls in phase II of Girls’ Education in South Sudan (GESS).

USAID, Canada, and the UK, through Phase II, targeted 930,538 girls and over 5,000 schools in order to transfer cash to meet girls’ needs.