By Lodu William Odiya
Vice President Josephine Lagu Joseph has urged stakeholders involved in the administration of the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) uphold professionalism during the process.
Vice President Lagu on the event of examination bell ringing at Juba One Boys primary school emphasized that there should be no room for malpractice and actions that undermines the future of ‘our children’.
“Our supervisors, invigilators, monitors, security officers and all stakeholders involved in the administration of these examinations. I urge you to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and neutrality. Safeguard the credibility of the examination process,” said Lagu
She said that this event was a symbolic across the nation, adding that the President of the Republic General Salva Kiir Mayardit and all the governors of the states were watching as it represents the transition of thousands of young learners from primary to the next stage of their educational journey.
According to VP Lagu, a total of 84,815 candidates will be sitting for the CPE examinations across the Republic of South Sudan this year.
“These candidates are drawn from 1,953 schools and examinations will be administered in 551 centres nationwide. These figures reflect the continued expansion of access to education in our country and the commitments of parents, teachers and communities to the future of our children” she added.
Lagu underscored that the Government remains fully committed to improving the quality of education at all levels.
She stressed that through the service delivery cluster and the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, the government would continue to strengthen teacher training, expand school infrastructure and support national examinations to ensure fairness, credibility and quality learning outcomes.
“We know that education is the foundation on which we build a peaceful, prosperous and stable South Sudan. Every child sitting for these examinations today represents a step forward in that national vision. The nation is watching and the nation is counting on you” she explained.
Vice president Lagu encouraged the candidates to approach these examinations with confidence, honesty and determination.
“Believe in yourselves, do your best and trust that your efforts will bring you great success. As I ring this bell today, I do so with great hope and pride for every candidate and for our nation too. May these examinations be peaceful, orderly” she said.
Meanwhile, Minister of General Education and Instruction, Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok applauded the President for his steadfast leadership in supporting education, despite all the economic challenges that we are facing.
I also want to acknowledge the support we received from my colleagues, Dr. Bak Barnaba Bak Chol, the Minister of Finance and Planning, and all the staff for making sure this examination was held.
“Now, as we are ringing the bell today, we are also ringing the bell across the country, in all our states, and especially in administrative areas” he said.
“I want to appreciate the governance of our ten states, and chief administrators in the three special administrative areas, for also taking up the leadership in supporting education in their jurisdictions” Abol added.
He encouraged the candidates to stay away from malpractice on what he described as “Machot” which may lead to lost of results.
“If you think about “Machot, you will lose your results. So, rely on yourselves, rely on what you have read, rely on God, as you have said in your prayers” he stated.
“We are prepared to mark your papers immediately after the examination. So, this year, there will be no more delays” he added.
On his part, Central Equatoria state Deputy Governor, Paulino Lokudu Obede urged the invigilators and the teachers to cooperate with the candidates during this examination period.
“For my teachers, those who are going to be invigilators, please cooperate with our children because there is what is called examination fever. It’s always affects them particularly the first day. They will be shivering but later on they will be okay. So, cooperate with them and be gentle with them” he emphasized.