After years of struggling with overcrowded classrooms and limited learning resources, teachers across Greater Mundri are breathing a sigh of relief following the arrival of 4,400 secondary school textbooks.
The consignment, delivered by the Amadi Land Education Rescue Team (ALERT) in partnership with the Active Youth Agency, was officially handed over to the Commissioner of Mundri West County, Hon. Zelipher Dawa Justin, on Wednesday.
The books were secured after ALERT successfully lobbied the Ministry of General Education in Juba to address the acute shortage of learning materials in the region.
For teachers, who have long faced the frustration of trying to teach without adequate materials, the development is nothing short of a breakthrough.
“A single textbook has been shared by up to five students in the past, which made teaching very difficult, with these books, we can finally improve classroom participation, encourage self-study, and see better results in exams,” said Mr. Daniel Lotem, a senior teacher at Mundri Secondary School.
The lack of textbooks has been one of the biggest obstacles to quality education in Greater Mundri, forcing teachers to improvise lessons while students struggled to follow without access to written materials.
Many students had to rely solely on classroom dictations, while others dropped out due to the overwhelming burden.
Commissioner Dawa noted that the allocation of textbooks has been done proportionally, based on school numbers and student enrollment.
Mundri West, with 12 secondary schools, will receive the largest share, while Mundri East and Mvolo each with three schools will also benefit.
“This distribution is designed to ease the workload of teachers and ensure every student gets the opportunity to learn with dignity,” Dawa said.
Students, too, are set to gain from the new learning resources. With more textbooks in circulation, learners will no longer be forced to copy entire passages from the board or depend solely on a teacher’s voice.
“Textbooks mean freedom, we will be able to study on our own at home, prepare for exams, and even help each other in group discussions,” said Mary Kiden, a Senior Three student.
Despite the excitement, education stakeholders say the delivery is just the beginning.
They are calling for sustained investment in textbooks, teacher training, and school infrastructure to ensure that students across Western Equatoria State can receive a standard education comparable to other regions.
“This is a huge step forward, but one consignment of books cannot solve all our challenges, we need continuous support if we are to build an educated generation ready to lead South Sudan into the future,” said a representative of the County Education Department.
The intervention comes at a time when South Sudan is grappling with one of the world’s highest education gaps, with classrooms often overcrowded and poorly equipped.
ALERT’s persistent advocacy with the Ministry of General Education demonstrates the power of grassroots initiatives to bridge the divide and bring hope to rural communities.
