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UNESCO and SIDA-funded project empowers Youth through TVET education in South Sudan
On 6 July 2023, UNESCO in partnership with Association for Christian Resource Organizations Serving Sudan (ACROSS) and the national and state governments, formally launched the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) funded “Strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Sudan” project in Rumbek town, Lakes State.
The event brought together over 69 stakeholders from the relevant line ministries, women and youth associations, civil society organizations, and the private sector. High-level participants included the representative of the State Governor of Lakes State (Hon. Mathiang Deng Monydit, also the Minister for Cabinet Affairs), Undersecretary, National Ministry of General Education, and Instructions (Hon. Dr Kuyok Abol Kuyok, also the chairperson national TVET Ad-hoc Coordination Committee), National Ministry of Labor and Public Service (Rev. Waigo Ben Tauga, also deputy chairperson of the National TVET Ad-hoc coordination committee), State Minister of Youth and Culture (Hon. William Koji Kirjok), and State Minister of Labor and Public Service (Hon. David Chol).
Speaking at the project launching event, the representative of the State Governor of Lakes State, Hon. Mathiang Deng Monydit thanked UNESCO and partners and welcomed the opportunities human capital development and socio-economic growth that the TVET Project will bring to the people of Lake State.
The people of Lakes State have wasted a lot of years in senseless communal conflicts, but now the current leadership has changed the phase of the state with full guarantee of peace and stability, and an environment conducive for development.”
Hon. Mathiang also committed to the State’s cooperation with the TVET project partners to implement the project in a way that fulfils its expected outcomes of promoting women and youth empowerment and employment through increased access to the labor market and high quality, demand-driven TVET skills.
Undersecretary of the National Ministry of General Education and Instruction, Dr. Kuyok Abol Kuyok appreciated UNESCO for its constant support to the national government and ongoing efforts to ensure an establish a better governance structure for the TVET sub-sector. He acknowledged the effectiveness of the integrated TVET Ad-hoc committee, which has made considerable progress in developing a unified TVET Policy, national qualification frameworks, and a unified TVET curriculum which has been translated into national languages. Dr. Kuyok expressed confidence that the TVET project will succeed in Lakes States given the improved peaceful environment that the State leadership has created.
“We have a lot of hope for the TVET project to create significant impact in the state but wanted the stakeholders and partners to work together. MOGEI is committed to provide all the necessary support for the implementation of this project we are launching today to make it successful.”
On his part, UNESCO Country Representative, Mr. Julius Banda emphasized the importance of focusing on TVET as a toolbox to lift people out of chronic poverty, by empowering young men and women through skills development for job creation, and entrepreneurship. He emphasised that UNESCO takes a programme rather than project approach that integrates both technical and vocational, formal and non-formal aspects of TVET. This integrated approach requires all line ministries and actors to work together as a team to demonstrate how TVET can create impact and transform the national economy. Finally, he stressed the importance of ensuring national and state level ownership of the TVET programme through adequate funding from domestic budgets.
ACROSS Head of programmes, Mr. Enoch Ongwara stated that his organization has been a longstanding partner to Lakes State and is grateful for UNESCO’s trust in its implementation of the SIDA TVET project in the State. He further stressed that ACROSS would do its best to ensure that the TVET project is contextualized to local needs, add value to indigenous knowledge, and harness local skills to boost alternative income sources for the people of community. Mr. Enoch affirmed that TVET is at present a missing link that has enormous potential to boost the local economy and create strong linkages with the private sector.
The SIDA TVET project in Lakes State targets to reach about 1,200 beneficiaries. 800 young men and women will be trained with a mix of foundational, vocational, entrepreneurial, digital and functional literacy skills, contributing to SDG 4, 5, 8 13, and 16 and the AU 2063 Agenda goal 13 and 18. 400 youth from the agro-pastoralist communities—of which half are female—will be reached with mobile TVET skills.
