Uganda to ‘export’ teachers to South Sudan
By Sharon Tibenda
24th Oct 2011: President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda will soon start ‘exporting’ teachers to South Sudan as a way of helping the new nation build its human resource capacity and recover from decades of conflict that have badly affected literacy and the education system.
Speaking at the opening of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders retreat on Monday in Kyanykwanzi, the president said ‘exporting’ teachers to South Sudan is also another way in which the government can create jobs for qualified but unemployed Ugandans.
South Sudan’s independence and its chronic underdevelopment have provided a potential job market for East African countries. Many East Africans have flocked to the world’s newest nation, in some cases, taking jobs in private and public sector away from graduates from South Sudan.
“…Our brothers and sisters in Southern Sudan have just got their freedom from the Arab colonialism. They are building their educational system. Our people [teachers], after consulting the government of Southern Sudan, could go there and make their contribution”, Museveni said in a speech that went on for nearly two hours. Earlier this year, South Sudan’s education Ministry announced that illiteracy had reduced to 73%.
In a referendum held in January this year, the South Sudanese population voted overwhelmingly for independence as part of a peace deal that ended decades of north-south conflict. South Sudan took up arms against Khartoum due to Arabisation, economic and political marginalisation, and the introduction of the Islamic Shari’a law.
South Sudan has also chosen English as its national language despite the fact very few of its citizens are fluent in English – a move that has been interpreted to signal the country’s resolve to define itself as totally different from its northern neighbour.
The South Sudanese who generally have a more African identity than north Sudan, practice Africa beliefs and Christianity, although a minority are Muslims. Uganda sided with South Sudan during its civil war with Khartoum and now hosts some of the rebel groups who are fighting against the Sudanese government in Darfur.
Earlier this month, Sudan’s Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha accused President Museveni of seeking to change the regime in Khartoum as part of his broader agenda to halt Arab advances in Africa. END. Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
