Chinese Embassy officials and officials from the South Sudan Ministry of General Education and Instruction, display some of the printed sample textbooks during the second review meeting for the China-Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan.
By Denis Ejulu
Officials from the Ministry of General Education and Instruction have hailed the textbooks developed by Shanghai Educational Publishing House for reflecting the local context of the country.
The English, Mathematics and Science textbooks developed for primary 2 to 4 pupils have been lauded for depicting the real life situation of South Sudan.
Christopher Awii Emilio, Deputy Director for Curriculum Development in the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, said the textbooks capture the South Sudan context in terms of family, society and it’s diverse cultures.
“The syllabus of the textbooks are close to the real life in the South Sudan context in terms of family, society and our diverse culture, games and sports throughout the books and this is depicting the real life situation of the country,” said Emilio at the closing of the second textbook review meeting in Juba.
Kuyok Abol Kuyok, Undersecretary for South Sudan Ministry of General Education and Instruction (Right) speaking during the second textbook review meeting for the China-Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan in Juba.
Both Chinese educational experts and their South Sudanese counterparts attended the four-days meeting.
The project is under the China –Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan launched on 6th December 2021.
Emilio disclosed the teacher guide textbooks provide all the competences expected from the learners.
“The layout of the textbooks is well presented, and illustrations are very clear and relevant to the South Sudan context,” he said.
John Louis Wani, lecturer of Upper Nile University said he was happy that the textbooks have addressed the needs of South Sudanese children.
“We want to acknowledge that the books have been really well done, and we are happy that it has followed much of what we need in our curriculum; one aspect is the curriculum expectations, they are well spelt, the contents are well designed for our context,” said Wani.
Wani also said the teaching and learning strategies outlined in the textbooks follow the national curriculum of South Sudan.
“We are very delighted in that, the assessment methods outlined in our curriculum are also followed and therefore, we would like to thank those who developed the books you have really understood our situation and have really addressed the needs of our children,” he said.
Kuyok Abol Kuyok, Undersecretary for Ministry of General Education and Instruction, said they included very important cultural component of teaching Chinese language under the second phase of this educational project.
“Chinese language is one of the six recognized United Nations languages, it is a very important language for international communication,” said Kuyok.
“You will be pleased to hear that the Chinese language classes in Juba Day Secondary School are becoming increasingly popular, drawing interest not only from the students, but from teachers as well as members of the public,” he added.
Mu Jianjun, the Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Chinese Embassy, said the full implementation of the technical cooperation project is an important accomplishment from the participation of South Sudan in the China-Africa Cooperation Framework.
“The Phase II Technical Cooperation Project will gather the advanced experience and wisdom of educational experts from China and South Sudan to improve the teaching materials for the general education,” he said.
Mu disclosed the project involves the printing and supply of over 1.6 million textbooks, capacity building of over 600 South Sudanese teachers and educational managers.
Miao Hongcai, President of Shanghai Educational Publishing House, said the newly developed textbooks combine the advanced experience and wisdom of the top educational scholars in China and South Sudan.
“The textbooks will for sure play an important role in the promotion of educational innovation in South Sudan, and will also build up a good foundation for the long-term cooperation in the education sector between China and South Sudan,” Miao said via videolink.
Since the launch of the China-Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project of Education in South Sudan, the publishing house has gathered contemporary authoritative Chinese educational experts and set up three text book developing groups for the development of the textbooks for the subjects of Mathematics, English and Science for primary 2 to 8.
In January 2022, the publishing house, together with the ministry of general education and instruction organized the first textbook review meeting on the submitted sample units for primary 2 to 4 textbooks, which involved the close communication and consultation between the Chinese and South Sudanese textbook experts, and instructed a clear structure and ideology for further development.
