South Sudan's minister in Dhaka to visit BRAC's education programme

Awut Deng Acuil, the General Education and Instruction minister of South Sudan is now in Bangladesh to observe different activities of BRAC’s education programme which transformed the lives of over 13 million children through community-based education, said a press release.

She arrived in Dhaka on 13 May with a delegation, and will stay in Bangladesh until 17 May.

During their study tour, the delegation will visit a number of educational facilities from BRAC, including Play Labs, BRAC’s early childhood development centres that focus on play-based education, where the delegation will have the opportunity to engage with learners, play leaders and parents.

The delegation will also visit BRAC’s schools and observe the accelerated learning programme that enables out-of-school children to tackle learning losses. In addition, the delegation will visit the Ayesha Abed Foundation, in Manikganj, to see the manufacturing work behind Aarong.

"We are honoured to host Awut Deng Acuil and her team," said Shameran Abed, executive director of BRAC International. "South Sudan faces many of the same challenges Bangladesh did after its independence, and just like Bangladesh, it is a country with immense potential. BRAC is a pioneer in alternative education, and we have been working in South Sudan since 2008 to support out-of-school children and youth through community-based schooling. We hope that this visit will allow the two countries to share experiences, reflect on the lessons learned, and deepen our partnership towards greater access to education in South Sudan."

BRAC commenced operations in South Sudan in 2006 and has since become one of the leading NGOs in the country, operating in the areas of youth empowerment, agriculture and food security, education, health, microfinance and eradication of extreme poverty. BRAC in South Sudan aims to bridge the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, targeting youth, women and girls, internally displaced persons, returnee refugees and other vulnerable populations.

BRAC currently works closely with South Sudan’s ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) to operate 101 community schools across four states. Teachers are recruited from their own communities and trained to provide learners with high quality, value-based education.

BRAC has adopted a human rights approach with particular emphasis on gender inclusivity to support the development of South Sudan’s Alternative Education Systems (AES). It is working with the government to develop community-based education policies, teachers training guides, and classroom observation tools.

BRAC is committed to ensuring that all children and youth have opportunities to thrive. By working closely with marginalised communities, BRAC provides access to high-quality, cost-effective, community-based education and youth empowerment programming to some of the world’s most vulnerable children and youth.