Conflict Analysis Summary: South Sudan
This report summarizes findings from conflict analyses undertaken as part of the UNICEF Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) Programme, funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The purpose of the report is to create actionable recommendations for the education sector in South Sudan to inform and shape peace consolidation and nation building. The conflict analysis was developed using information gathered during interviews and a review of studies, strategic documents and contextual analyses, including ‘Inventory of Recent Context Analyses in South Sudan' developed for the PBEA programme, as well as the consultant's own understanding of the context. The conflict analysis is viewed from the perspective of key stakeholders, including the South Sudanese, the Government of South Sudan and the international community. The context and conflict analysis in Tonj East County, Warrap State, was based on consultative workshops in Kuacjok (capital of the state) and Romic (Tonj East County) and provides further understanding of the context, conflict dynamics and priorities for action.
South Sudan's education system is challenged by massive gaps in service delivery, insufficient infrastructure, inadequate training for teachers, a large out-of-school population, gender inequities, low literacy rates and struggles to translate education into meaningful employment. Education provision is complicated by issues of language; school instruction is typically in English, but many children speak Juba Arabic or one of 50 other languages spoken in South Sudan. Little attention has been paid to education's transformative potential to strengthen national identify and build peace, harmony and social cohesion within the country. Peacebuilding entry points in education and learning:
- Increase emphasis on and support for education at all levels;
- Develop an easy-to-use national curriculum;
- Promote education as a strategy in peacebuilding programmes;
- Coordinate international interventions;
- Target initiatives to improve access to education for marginalized groups;
- Provide training for education stakeholders at all levels; and
- Promote the value of education for peacebuilding and peace consolidation.