Lifted out of poverty by education

Children at kurmuk primary school [Annie Bungeroth]

As peace has slowly returned to Southern Sudan following the long civil war, so the number of children enrolling at the primary school in Kurmuk has continued to grow.

The school was forced to close in 2001 because it was bombed, killing several people, and leaving many others injured.

Headteacher Alex Juma says: “People became scared to send their children to school in case it was bombed again. That is no longer the case.

“At enrolment in 2006 we had to send away more than 200 children because there was not enough room.

“Thousands of people have come home this year so more and more children are coming back wanting to attend school.”

Thanks to help from the Relief Organisation of Fazugili (ROOF) - supported by CAFOD partner CEAS (Church Ecumenical Action in Sudan) - the school grew from 200 to 690 pupils between 2003 and 2006.

But there are still only seven teachers, plus many children are still suffering from trauma because of the war and former child soldiers need counselling.

“The teachers do what they can but there’s a need for trained counsellors as so many children are in need and the teachers cannot offer this service effectively,” says Alex.

Need for more materials

Most of the staff are Sudanese, but some are Kenyan. All the lessons are in English because it provides more opportunities for the pupils as they already use Arabic at home.

There is also a great need for more equipment and materials – text books, benches and more classrooms – and many pupils have to sit on the floor.

There’s no secondary school in Kurmuk at the moment, but ROOFhopes to build one.

When pupils finish primary school at Grade 6, they can do vocational training. To become a primary school teacher they must reach Grade 8.

Alex hopes that they can set up a secondary school so that pupils will reach those grades next year.

“Education will uplift this community out of poverty,” he says.

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