Young learners urge teachers to keep domestic problems out of classrooms

WAU – Young volunteers under the Young Reporters Network, supported by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal State, have called on teachers to separate personal challenges from their professional responsibilities to create a more supportive learning environment for pupils.

The appeal was made on Thursday in Wau during activities linked to the “Back-to-Learning” campaign, an initiative aimed at encouraging children who have dropped out of school to return to classrooms and raising awareness about the importance of education.

Speaking to the media, Dol Madut Madut, a 14-year-old student at Loyola Secondary School and a member of the youth network, said some teachers sometimes allow problems from their homes to influence how they treat pupils in school.

“Teachers sometimes get problems in their houses, and they come to school and transfer the problems from their houses to the pupils at school,” Madut said, urging educators to maintain patience and professionalism when dealing with learners.

Madut added that students also have a responsibility to respect and obey their teachers, noting that mutual respect between teachers and pupils can help create a better learning environment.

Madut’s peers under the volunteer program said their outreach activities use drama, dialogue, and school engagements to highlight challenges facing children in education and encourage both teachers and learners to foster a positive atmosphere in schools.

Gbett Arkangelo Philip, another UNICEF young reporter based in Wau, emphasised that every child has the right to education and should not drop out because of poverty or other social pressures.

“No child should drop out of school because of poverty. No child should leave school alone or have their parents deny them their rights to education. Let them never give up their hopes for school,” Arkangelo said.

She also called on authorities to consider free education for street children as a way of improving access and reducing gender inequality in the country.

Arkangelo further advised girls to avoid relationships that could lead to early pregnancies, warning that such situations often disrupt education and reduce opportunities for young women.

“My message goes to the boys and the girls. They need not give up school because education is their future,” she said.

Drusilla Amuge Geofrey, a 17-year-old senior three student at Loyola Secondary School and another member of the youth network, said many girls remain out of school due to social and economic challenges.

“There are a lot of them who are out of school. So, we were also able to encourage the ones in school not to drop out of school due to some reasons,” Amuge said.

She explained that through the EU-funded Joint UN Programme on Access to Education, Livelihoods, and Peace, young reporters are trained to advocate for children’s rights and promote access to education across the Bahr el Ghazal region.

As part of the initiative, the young reporters recently held an outreach session at Loyola Secondary School, where they engaged students on their rights and discussed challenges affecting children in the community.

“We were able to get some questions and information from the students about the problems facing children in the community,” Amuge said.

UNICEF Country Representative to South Sudan, Noala Skinner, said investing in education is essential for enabling children to realise their ambitions and contribute positively to society.

“Children have dreams and aspirations, and it’s so important that we facilitate those dreams through the systems that can work for them,” Skinner said.

The EU-funded Joint UN Programme has established a network of more than 100 young reporters across Western Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap states. The initiative seeks to promote school enrollment, particularly among out-of-school children, while improving access to quality and inclusive education in communities affected by conflict and displacement.

The three-year programme is implemented by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Wau of Western Bahr el Ghazal and in Twic County of Gogrial West, Warrap State.

Through the programme, UNICEF focuses on education, child protection, gender-based violence prevention, and water, sanitation, and hygiene services, while the Young Reporters initiative provides young people with a platform to share their perspectives, develop advocacy skills, and contribute to positive change in their communities.