Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS), a project funded by the United Kingdom in collaboration with the national Ministry of General Education, on Friday launched a cash distribution to girls in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
The initiative aims to encourage school attendance and retention among some of South Sudan’s most vulnerable learners, especially girls in upper primary and secondary school, as well as boys with disabilities.
According to GESS, the cash transfers targeted girls in Primary 7 to Secondary 4, including those with special needs and secondary schools.
Beneficiaries in candidate classes—Primary 8, Secondary 4, and ALP Level 4—will receive SSP 129,000, while learners in other eligible classes will receive SSP 166,000.
The exercise began on Friday at Santo Ayang Primary School in Aweil Town, attended by state government officials and a representative from the national Ministry of General Education.
Speaking during launch ceremony in Aweil on Friday, Hekima Ali Malek, representing the State governor at the event said that 25,997 learners from primary and secondary schools, including boys with disabilities, will benefit from the program.
“We have launched the exercise today in Santo Ayang schools and then it will be taken to other counties in all the state,” Malek said.
Samuel Demaria, the head of the delegation from the National Ministry of General Education, stated that they are present to supervise the exercise until its completion.
“This is a great support to us as the Cooperative Bank team are the ones handing out the cash to the learners. They are beginning here at Santo Ayang and on Monday they will move to different counites,” said Demaria
Demaria emphasized the importance of learners using money wisely and avoiding expenditure on insignificant items.
Mary Achol, one of the beneficiaries, expressed her gratitude for the support provided by GESS, noting that the funds will assist in addressing the challenges the learners faced in their educational journey.
“The money has come in right time as we are in the examination now, I will ensure that the scholastic materials are bought, this is something I will do firsthand” said Achol.
The GESS Cash Transfer programme is a flagship government initiative aimed at improving girls’ education by providing direct financial support to learners to cover essential school-related costs.
The GESS programme is funded through UK aid from the UK Government, the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, the European Union (EU), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
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