Yei Teachers College Graduation Highlights
In a vibrant ceremony in Yei town, 126 students collected diplomas from Yei Teachers Training College, marking the institution’s 11th graduation. The theme “Educators Shaping Futures” framed both celebration and responsibility as South Sudan navigates one of the continent’s most strained teacher pipelines.
Gender Balance and Academic Excellence
The cohort reverses historic imbalances: 75 graduates are women, a ratio applauded by education officials. Valedictorian Anite Ruth termed her achievement “unbelievable” and urged peers to embrace a profession often undervalued yet decisive for national reconstruction.
Classmate Boboya Francis welcomed the gender tilt, noting women educators “have an important role to play in the communities.” His comment echoes studies showing that female teachers boost enrolment and retention among young girls, a priority for South Sudan’s rural schools.
Quality Deficit in Classrooms
Principal Dr Kepo James cautioned that untrained teachers may inadvertently “damage the minds of our children.” He calculates that hundreds of thousands of pupils still pass through lessons lacking basic numeracy and literacy foundations, a gap the new alumni are expected to narrow.
Observers link the shortfall to years of conflict that disrupted teacher training pipelines and forced many qualified staff to leave the country. Colleges such as YTTC now function as critical nodes in rebuilding human capital for the fledgling national curriculum.
Funding Pressures and Tax Debate
Yei County Education Director Rev. Philip Taban-Issa urged partners to finance salaries so instructors remain committed. Low pay, he warned, still drives desertion despite the passion seen on graduation day.
Bishop Levi Marandulu called on authorities to revisit flat-rate taxes applied to faith-based schools, arguing that non-profit institutions cushion the state’s budget and therefore merit leniency. Government officials in Juba have yet to respond publicly.
Regional Significance for Central Equatoria
The college, founded in 2001, has fed classrooms across Central Equatoria State for over a decade. Alumni often return to remote counties, providing continuity in areas where multilingual classes, limited materials and displacement still challenge educational delivery.
Measured Optimism Ahead
With 126 new educators joining the workforce, officials frame the graduation as a step toward meeting Sustainable Development Goal 4 in South Sudan. Yet many stress that consistent funding and policy stability remain prerequisites for translating diplomas into lasting classroom impact.