'Not yet "Uhuru"': Interpreting the Education System in Post-Independence South Sudan

Overview & Synopsis

South Sudan's independence in July 2011 came with a euphoric promise to break with the Sudan's cultural domination, epitomised by the latter's education system. Yet, despite the introduction of the national curriculum, South Sudan, as a part of the modern Sudan for decades, is struggling to rid itself of the colonial education system. This article examines the persistence of foreign education in post-independence South Sudan. The complexities of the foreign education are intertwined with the concurrent political and economic upheavals that have bedevilled the world's youngest nation. The national curriculum is encumbered by government underfunding of education-associated with a poorly performing economy exacerbated by conflict. Underinvestment in education has wider implications for the provision of learning resources and teacher training. South Sudan's continuous reliance on foreign schooling curricula implies that its education system is not yet 'free' and independent. Most importantly, in the context of the renewed conflict, the lack of the national curriculum is critical for South Sudan's nation-building agenda. The evidence in this article has implications for improving educational policy and practice in South Sudan and other similar post-conflict African countries.