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BENTIU - 12 Feb 2013

Primary examinations start in Unity State

Primary leaving examinations started on Monday in South Sudan’s Unity state with a turnout of 2,583 pupils, less than a fifth of which are girls.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj yesterday, the headmistress of Giyama Girls’ Primary school Fathna Suleiman said that 25 girls from her school were then sitting for their exams.

“Of course there is an increase in the number of girls this year,” she said. “There were 27 but two of them left after the aerial bombardment. One left for Yei and the other to Juba, the remaining 25 have sat today,” said the headmistress.

In total there are 1,871 boys from the state and 400 girls sitting for the exams. Another group of 252 boys from the Sudanese refugees and 60 refugee girls are said to be sitting the exams in Panyang, in the north of the state, but some refugee sources put the figure somewhat lower. Teacher Jelli Mustafa buruma said that 54 of this group are pupils from western Nuba Mountains who earlier missed the 2012 Kenyan syllabus examinations in Kauda. 

There are four examination centres in Bentiu and three centres in Rubkona area. The examinations are expected to finish after four days.

South Sudan currently does not have a unified system of examination in terms of syllabus and time. Some schools are still using the curricula of East African countries while others still use that of Sudan.