Child Soldiers In South Sudan

South Sudan gained its independence as one of the most fragile and underdeveloped countries in the world and failed to invest in adequate education for its people. “Children have been pulled out of school and the UN estimates there are at least 9,000 child soldiers that have been recruited into the current conflict on both sides.” (Freccia, 2014) South Sudan is one poorest countries in the world. A crisis fueled by years of chronic underdevelopment and decades of fighting have been devastating on the population of South Sudan to include: One in seven women die in childbirth, eighty-four percent of women are illiterate, half the population has no access to improved sources of drinking water, one in nine children will not live to see their fifth

birthday, and only one-third of the population has ever attended school. “After decades of neglect, and years of civil war, has left South Sudan with very limited educational opportunities, a shattered school infrastructure and a lack of qualified teachers and basic learning materials. Generations of South Sudanese people have gone without access to education and the country’s literacy rate is the world’s lowest at only 27%.” ("South Sudan - Africa Educational Trust," 2016) The civil war has destroyed the social fabric of communities and many children have been left without the protection of caring adults. This is exposing them to high levels of violence, including gender-based violence, exploitation, abuse and deprivation.
South Sudanese governmental forces are actively recruiting boys as young as 13, often by force, as soldiers.

Both parties to South Sudan’s conflict have recruited and used child soldiers, which is a war crime when children are under the age of 15. “Despite renewed promises by both government and opposition forces that they will stop using child soldiers, but both sides continue to recruit and use children in combat,” (Philip, 2015) Commanders from both the government and the opposition still have not issued clear orders barring recruitment of all children under 18 and cooperate with relevant United Nations policies and sanctions to help these children return back to their homes or refugee camps.” So in retaliation for the government recruiting children the opposition forces have also recruited and used many child soldiers. “The conflict continued throughout the country, with intense clashes between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A in Opposition) and their allied militias, primarily in Unity and Upper Nile States.” ("South Sudan | United Nations Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict," 2016) Thousands of children in South Sudan do not have parents, and some of them have been targeted for recruitment by armed forces and opposition

groups.
Conflicts between community and ethnic groups continue to threaten children, while the lack of access to education, extreme poverty, a weak legal and judicial system, and an over-reliance on customary law practices makes children more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

The number of people who have been excluded from education is enormous. The school age population includes thousands of displaced children across Sudan. Many more young people have never acquired basic literacy, numeracy or life skills. Girls and women are among those who fare the worst in accessing education. Parents with very limited means will often prioritize boys’ education, and girls are often kept at home to ensure their bride price. A girl in South Sudan is three times more likely to die in childbirth than she is to finish primary school. The lack of adult literacy and education greatly impedes people’s ability to engage in economic activities and hinders the growth and peaceful development of the country. There is a need for recognized, non-formal alternative education options to help provide people with the essential literacy, numeracy and skills they need to support themselves. The challenges of the formal school system also need to be addressed to bring an end to a cycle that leaves people without any access to education. Investment needs to be made in all aspects of public education. Fewer than 50% of schools have a permanent building. Most communities have no learning materials, resources or

training centers. The low number of educated adults means there are very few educated and qualified teachers.
In many cases, teachers aren't much older than their students. About 37 percent of teachers have actual teaching certification. An equal percentage have only attained the equivalent of an 8th grade education. The rest have either unchecked or unconfirmed teaching qualifications. ”Many schools have either been closed by the government or occupied and damaged by internally displaced people or armed groups. More than 800 schools were destroyed since the fighting has begun. More than 6,000 schools remain operable, but they all lack resources.” (Walters, 2016) Still, the situation isn't entirely bleak. The number of schools, teachers, classrooms and students have all increased since South Sudan gained independence. Schools can provide a safety net for children whose lives have been scarred by violence. "Most of the schools have very poor facilities and anywhere else, they wouldn't even be called schools, it’s basically a tree and a blackboard."
Student dropout is a serious concern in basic education. Students are at risk of dropping out of school when parents and students do not perceive that additional schooling is worth the investment of time and money, that is, when the costs of schooling exceed the expected benefits. A high rate of dropout could indicate that students are not learning enough, that the quality of schooling is too low to justify student’s time and the direct cost in terms of parental contributions. Other factors can also put children at risk of dropping out of schools. When schools do not offer all the grades of the basic cycle and children therefore have to change schools to attend the higher grades and increase their travel time to get to school. Many schools have either been closed by the government or occupied and damaged by internally displaced people or armed groups.
To improve access to education, some research is needed to determine whether the relatively low access of rural children is mostly a question of improving and possibly adapting the supply of schooling. Providing schooling that is free of charge, close to where children live and with feasible school hours and curriculum. A question arises that the demand for schooling has benefits compensating families for the opportunity cost of schooling, but rural children are often engaged in productive activities in the field or in the home. Access to school and the retention of children in school may be affected by both characteristics of the supply of schooling and factors affecting the demand. If schools and classrooms are unsafe, unhygienic, in poor condition, overcrowded, or have a shortage of equipment, not only is access and attendance, especially of girls reduced, but student learning is adversely affected. The status of school infrastructure in Sudan is generally poor. Another challenge is the lack of adequate sanitation facilities drinking water in many schools. Tap and pump water is generally considered safe to drink whereas whether wells provide safe drinking water mainly depends on whether they are covered or not, half of rural schools, and 42 percent of urban schools had no source of safe drinking water.
So in conclusion, basic education is a fundamental economic necessity, but circumstances such as armed violence often make its effective provision quite grim. This is particularly pertinent in South Sudan where the delivery of social services has been greatly undermined by a recent violence. Until the decades of fighting comes to a cease fire and the two factions can develop a peace agreement, the country of Sudan’s education will continue to suffer. “Mass killings, sexual violence, and other war crimes have been widely documented by journalists and human rights groups in South Sudan. Children have been pulled out of school and the UN estimates there are at least 9,000 child soldiers that have been recruited into the current conflict on both sides.” (Freccia, 2014) Amidst the chaos of war in South Sudan, suffering transcends borders, ethnic differences and age. Besides building new schools, having the local communities should maintain these schools and help cover part of teachers’ salaries or incentives and the government should remove the school fees required for the children until their economy becomes stable. These responsibilities undertaking by the government and the communities will help ensure education for all their children. Children are more severely affected, some growing up never having a secure home, others losing their parents and left to fend for themselves. Comprehensive humanitarian aid, including educational opportunities and psychosocial support, is essential to protect lives today and build a more just tomorrow.