Over 200 students from Unity State would be unable to sit for the national secondary examinations.

According to the school government in South Sudan’s oil-rich Unity State, at least 208 senior four applicants would skip the Secondary School National Examinations this year.

The national secondary school tests are set to commence on April 20th, 2022, throughout the country.

Intercommunal violence, continuous floods, and inadequate road infrastructure, according to the government, would obstruct the administration of examinations in several sections of Unity State.

In an exclusive interview with Radio Tamazuj viewed by NCMP, Unity State General Education and Instruction Minister Stephen Tot Cheng claimed that the impacted candidates are from Panyijiar, Koch, Mayiendit, and sections of Leer County.

“When this occurs, 208 applicants will be unable to take their examinations due to road inaccessibility and possibly transit issues. The candidates who are left out, in my opinion, would despise both the national and state ministries of education “he said ‘The students and their parents will react as if we don’t care about their children.’ Furthermore, it would seem as though we are pursuing them.”

Candidates have been studying for the tests and are quite concerned that their efforts will go in useless, according to the petition, which urges the national education ministry to resolve the issue immediately.

Minister Tot said that this is the second time in the state that a candidate has failed to pass a test.

Due to index number complications, more than 300 primary eight applicants in Unity State lost out on the Primary Leaving Education examinations in February of this year.

“Of those 303 applicants, Panyijiar had 64, the same as Mayendit and Koch, who would again lose out on the national secondary school examinations this year.” “Tot made a point.

He goes on to say, “This has been hurting me for quite some time now. I’m writing to ask the national ministry of education why three facilities have been crammed into the Bentiu neighborhood.”

It should be noted that, although the decrease of test locations was intended to reduce exam misconduct, it has had a negative impact on many students.

“For example, Panyijiar county only had three examination centers: Gany, Nyel, and Nyel Unity,” he added. “Similarly, Leer County only had three centers: Toriya, Dhiem-Diem, and Leer HQ.” When it came to Koch County, there were three major centers: Mirmir, Rier, and Koch headquarters, as well as smaller locations. All of these testing facilities have vanished. “

He further said that the national general education ministry recognizes just three test centers, which are located in the counties of Bentiu, Mayom, and Leer.

“It would be extremely unpleasant for us as authorities, much alone the students, if the Senor 4 candidates also fail the national tests,” Tot lamented.

One of the epicenters of the crisis, which concluded in 2018, was Unity State. Floods have also wreaked havoc in several regions in recent months.