Opinion: Why the COVID-19 taskforce and the ministry of education owe South Sudanese students an explanation on funds disbursement

June 1, 2020 COVID-19 South Sudan, Opinions

By Tom Gatdel Malou

File: South Sudan Minister of Higher Education Science & Technology, Denay Jock Chagor | Credit | Facebook

June 1, 2020 (SSNN) – Concerning the above subject, South Sudan Students’ Association in Kenya, (SSSAK) and Uganda being the countries with a good number of students schooling on their own and also not benefited from the Covid-19 funds released two months back.

The leadership of South Sudanese students in Kenya decries, regrets and blames the Taskforce for leaving self-sponsored Students out from the incentives mend for the South Sudanese students in the diaspora. This is not only a public nuisance but abandonment and segregation of South Sudanese from the mode of their studies and lack of appreciation to parents who sacrificed and help the government in developing the country through educating the youth.

It is a hamstring and fretting that students have been left out anguishing in a dire situation where they cannot have access to basic pandemic preventives armatures for lack of money to purchase the said needs. The Covid-19 Taskforce and Higher Education Ministry have just eschewed the money to their own used and left the plight of students in an incredible situation. It was so fortunate that one of the good Samaritans in the person of Joseph Anyak donated face masks to the students and we whole-heatedly cherished the kindness from Comrades Joseph and we say kudos for the humanity. We weighed the blame on Covid-19 Taskforce and their accomplices for not being fair in their disbursement strategies.

We were left out without anything to purchase sanitizers, facemasks and soaps to use during catastrophe if not Joseph Anyak. This blame squarely goes to the collegial concern bodies mentioned earlier and South Sudan Students’ Association in Kenya (SSSAK) and leadership of South Sudan Students’ Association Uganda (SSSAU) are so upset as the Government forgets them during mids of the pandemic. The leadership of SSSAK and SSSAU still urged the government to sermon the Taskforce so that the plight of South Sudan students in Kenya and Uganda are catered for. The coronavirus surge still ongoing and many students are starving in hostels, missing basic need like food, water and shelter which is the rent payment difficulties. We call upon the government to come in our rescue as our hostels are being locked for lack of rents and other supplementary which support the dwelling.

In addition to all, we would like to inculcate the public that South Sudanese students in the diaspora are starving to the level of demise and even sorrow. The Covid-19 Taskforce, Ministry of Higher Education and government need to come up with more draconian protocols in order to rescue self-sponsored students and even Government-Sponsored students who might have not been reached. Self-Sponsored Students are South Sudanese and in this case, it is so disgusted by the Government and Concerned bodies of pandemic funds to have thought to omit Self-Sponsored students. Self-Sponsored students are equal to Governments Sponsored Students in that, we are considering the disaster and not school fees scenario. This tells Self-Sponsored Students that if it was, a coup d’ état occurrence in the Foreign countries and wherever they are, South Sudanese Government would have asked the parents of the Self-Sponsored students to provide the security of their children or else.

To brief the readers of what transpired some days back during the release of pandemic funds, the leadership of South Sudan Students’ Association in Kenya (SSSAK) in the person of President Tom Gatdel Malou made a lot of attempts for Self-Sponsored Students in Uganda, Kenya and other countries to be included in the released funds. The

communication was made through Hon. Denay Jock Chagor, Minister for Higher Education Science and Technology in South Sudan where he promised the leadership that he was to represent the complaint of the self-sponsored Students before COVID-19 Taskforce for considerations. Up to this far, students in Kenya, Uganda and other countries have not been given any information in regard to the funds and whatsoever the case. We just want to inform the other right groups that South Sudanese students in the mentioned countries and Education mode or status have not even gotten an ounce on such budget. Meanwhile, the students sponsored by the government confirmed to the leadership of SSSAK that some of them got $80 and some did not receive even an iota. In another word, the funds have been misappropriated.

In conclusion, we are just saying as students that we are facing a lot of ado and all we need is for us to be rescued by our government and considers to give us incentive. The parents of Self-Sponsored are facing financial constraints and are not able to cater for their children and these children or students or agents of change in South Sudan, the country we are struggling to build in the nearer future of the days. We urge the government to hear our call and rescue us in the shortest time possible as students are in dire need of basic needs where neither them nor parents afford the situation in this perilous time.

The author is the chairman of South Sudan Students’ Association in Kenya and is reachable via: gatdelmalou@gmail.com.

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