The administration of Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology in Bor town of Jonglei State launched the construction works for new lecture halls at the institution’s campus on Saturday. 

The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Abraham Matoc Dhal, told Radio Tamazuj that they have embarked on constructing 11 lecture halls and five administration offices because the university has been using containers since its establishment a decade ago. 

He pointed out that the construction work has been ongoing since February 27, and that by July the work will have been completed. 

“We started the construction of 10 lecture halls, and an examination hall with a capacity of about 1, 500 students. The 10 lecture halls will be of various capacities, there are those of 500, 350, 300, and even 50 students. All those halls, plus five offices for the professors, will be constructed under one roof at least to minimize the space and the cost,” Prof Matoc explained. 

He added, “The University has been with container lecture halls and container offices. Repairing them is costly. So, preferably, we had to go in for new permanent structures. And these halls will be used for the next fifty years.”

According to the university don, the construction works executed by a local company Abuk Engineering Company, will cost about 611 Million SSP and it is being funded by the university.

A university student, Mary Leek, welcomed the administration’s initiative to upgrade the university. 

“As a student, the move taken by the university is good. We welcome it, but my appeal to the government is that we should be allowed to get back to the university. Two years without education is not easy,” she said. 

Kuol Manyang Juuk, the head of the university council, promised that he will lobby for support to ensure that the university is upgraded despite the country’s economic hardship. 

For his part, Changson Chang, the higher education minister, welcomed the university’s initiative saying it will help create a conducive learning environment for the students. 

The education minister also urged the administration of public universities to abide by the admission regulations as they take in students. 

The higher learning institution has 2,000 students in the five colleges of agriculture, management science, environmental studies, education, and science and technology.   

Established in 2008, the Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology is one of the five public universities in the country.