Bentiu letter urges Ministry of Petroleum intervention
In Bentiu, the Unity State Students’ Union at Universities and Higher Institutes says Sudd Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC) diverted $250,000 intended for tuition support, leaving dozens of sponsored students exposed to unpaid fees.
In a letter to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Chol Thon Abel, the union chairperson, Gai George Dannhier Gatluak, requested urgent intervention to ensure accountability within SPOC’s Community Development management.
Block 5A sponsorship funds alleged redirected
The union’s letter alleges the tuition allocation under Block 5A sponsorship, meant for Unity State students in universities and higher institutes, was redirected to activities it says do not benefit Unity State.
“It has now become evident that the CD Manager, under directives from the SPOC Vice President, diverted the Block 5A tuition allocation amounting to USD 250,000 to unrelated programs,” the letter states.
Engagements with SPOC officials said to stall
According to the students’ union, repeated discussions with SPOC’s Community Development manager did not resolve the payment issue. The union says it later approached the company’s Vice President and President, who allegedly pledged to settle outstanding fees.
The union claims the promised payments did not materialise and that SPOC officials later declined both to clear tuition fees and to issue commitment letters to universities, which students say would have provided formal assurance of sponsorship.
Exam access risk as fees remain unpaid
The union says universities warned that students with unsettled fees would be barred from examinations scheduled to begin on 16 February 2026, a development it says has intensified worry among affected learners.
“We have been notified that students who have not cleared their school fees will not be allowed to sit for the upcoming examinations,” the letter notes, describing “significant anxiety” among students registered under the sponsorship arrangement.
Host community expectations and comparisons in oil sector
The letter argues Unity State, as an oil-producing host community, should see education benefits through Community Development allocations, adding that the programme has historically supported vulnerable learners, including students from internally displaced persons camps.
The union also cites Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) as having cleared tuition balances in full, contrasting this with SPOC’s alleged failure to meet similar obligations in the current dispute.
Accountability request and response status
The union names SPOC’s Community Development manager, John Lath Majok, alleging actions that “undermine the welfare of Southern Unity State students.” It requests a written clarification from SPOC on whether the company can continue the scholarship programme.
The students say they have appealed to lawmakers, chiefs, parents, and government authorities for support. At publication, neither SPOC nor the Ministry of Petroleum had issued a public response, and attempts to reach company representatives were unsuccessful.
Community Development funds and confidence in scholarships
The dispute adds attention to how Community Development funding is managed in South Sudan’s oil sector, where host communities often link extraction to social investment commitments, particularly amid economic strain.
For the affected students, the union warns that delays could translate into missed examinations, postponed graduations, and weakened confidence in a scholarship model intended to expand access to higher education.