The bell rang in school and shaped my life. I started school hating the bell sound, but later I came to love it. I will continue to love school forever. In 2006, the administration of Adhodhic Primary School introduced a bell that rang at 5:00 AM every day to wake and call pupils to school.
The bell could wake me up when time was forgotten. It was a resourceful tool for managing pupils by time intervals in a nearby home school called Adhodhic Primary School in Adhodhic Village, Cueibet County, Lakes State.
I grew up as a cattle keeper for years. I was not expected to leave the cattle camp. One rainy season, I came home to Adhodhic village to visit my brother, Sultan Mangar Mangol Acien Yuol. His wife, Nyanarop Mawuom Goljok, was wrestling with crops in the garden. I helped her, delaying my return to the camp. Near our home was Adhodhic Primary School, an under-tree school. I watched boys and girls playing at break, lunchtime, and after classes in the evening. I wanted to join but did not know where to start.
One day, my cousin picked up the stand of the blackboard and played with it until he knocked my mouth, breaking part of my tooth. No blood came out, but I became a great warrior like the President of Russia, Mr. Putin. He was older and boxed me badly with styles he learned at school as they played football. I kept attacking him almost the whole first term. A teacher finally intervened. He convinced me to join school so I could “defeat” my cousin with education. I was happy. They placed me with children writing A, B, C, 1, 2, 3 on the ground. My objective was simple: learn and defeat the boy who broke my tooth.
A white man called Masenyoro brought handbooks and pencils. By year’s end, during Parents’ Day in Abyeicok, Cueibet County, I scored number one in class. I received gifts and felt like a king. That day I thought, if I finish school, I will get revenge on the boy who broke my tooth. But in the Abyeicok market, I found people doing business. I loved clothes, sugar, and sweets. I left for my maternal uncle’s home, then joined my uncle Chol Thuch Kok, a businessman in Abiriu Payam. He put me in his shop. Later, I asked to sell my own goods with his goods. I sold a he-goat from home and started a business in 2007. The bell followed me into 2008.
In 2008, I joined Abiriu Boys Primary School, P.1. I read so well I could sing books. I finished P.1 and P.2 in 2008-2009 and jumped to P.4 in 2010 because P.3 was below my level. In 2011, I moved to Deng Nhial Primary School, Rumbek, for P.5. I paid for two terms from my business and stayed with the Hon. Machuor Marial Wol, my grandmother’s uncle. He housed me with agemates. In the third term, my uncle John Dut Thuch Kok called Hon. Machuor’s phone and supported my fees. Thank you, Nenar.
On 24th Dec 2011, tragedy struck. My sister Anipa Mangol, pregnant with her first child, fell sick. I finished P.5 exams and rushed her to Rumbek Hospital, but she died. She used to visit and care for me in Rumbek. Rest in peace, Anipama, with your child who never breathed air.
At that hard time, my maternal uncle, Ustaz Makerthiaar Samuel, returned from East Africa. I planned to join SPLA training in Warrap, but Ustaz Maker Mading Riakgol, John Riakgol, and John Dut Thuch Kok took me to St. Daniel Comboni Primary School for P.6 in 2012. In 2013, I went to Uganda and completed P.7 at Moyo Town Council Primary School and obtained the Uganda Primary Leaving Certificate.
For high school, I joined Daniel Comboni Comprehensive College for S.1-S.2 in 2014-2015, then Lighthouse International Secondary School for S.3-S.4 in 2016-2018 as a boarder. I chose sciences with additional mathematics and scored 79.3% in the South Sudan Certificate for Secondary Education.
The bell rang again for opportunity. I applied for scholarships. My name was shortlisted for Ethiopia. In 2019, I went to Addis Ababa for foundation courses and then earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Technology, specialising in Building Construction, from the Federal Technical and Vocational Training Institute in 2023.
The bell rings still. I returned to Juba on 19/10/2023 with expectations of a job to stabilise and start a family. But South Sudan runs on “whom you know, not what you know.” I evaluated myself and applied for a Master of Science in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Juba. I was admitted for 2025/2026 and started first-semester lectures on 9/03/2026, which will end on 3/06/2026.
The bell that once woke me to go under a tree has served to call me an engineer who will build South Sudan’s future. It is not yet done until it is done.
About the Author
Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol is a Civil Engineer, Opinion Writer, and leader based in Juba. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Civil Technology, BCT, from Federal TVT Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is pursuing a Master of Science (MSc) in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Juba. Geotechnical Engineering is the branch of Civil Engineering concerned with the behavior of soil, rock, and groundwater, and how they interact with structures built on, in, or from them. He writes on geotechnical safety, sustainable infrastructure, youth development, leadership, and other issues affecting South Sudan.
He can be reached at makermangolacien@gmail.com for verification or comments.