8 April 2015 - Education for children in South Sudan would greatly improve if the country ended its conflict, UNICEF’s Ambassador in Japan said today in Yambio, Western Equatoria State.

Visiting the area to assess education for children in a so-called “green” (peaceful) state, Ms. Chan stressed that children needed a safe environment to boost their educational standards.

“We have heard that WES has put a lot of effort into improving the education of children and youth,” she said. “We are interested in seeing this state as a role model in South Sudan for education programmes.”

UNICEF and the Japanese government have been supporting education in Western Equatoria by providing school materials, constructing school buildings and training teachers.

“I believe that in green states people are working very hard to keep peace and we want to support that,” she said. “Ultimately, South Sudan must stop war for the sake of children and citizens of South Sudan.”

In addition to education, she urged South Sudanese to promote peace so that it could benefit from natural resources, including oil, fertile land and the River Nile, in developing the country.

Minister of Education Pia Phillip said the state faced various educational challenges, such as inadequately constructed schools, lack of teacher training and low salaries for instructors.