Innovative Finance
August 1, 2024
Context
South Sudan faces significant challenges from prolonged conflict, resulting in widespread displacement, poverty, and weak human capital development. There are severe shortages of qualified teachers and youth skilled in agriculture, which are critical for advancing human capital. With over 95 percent of South Sudan’s population reliant on climate-sensitive, rainfed agriculture, building agricultural skills is essential to combat food insecurity and support sustainable livelihoods in the face of worsening climate risks.
Prolonged conflict has left over 31,000 unqualified teachers and left the education system severely constrained. Only three public National Teacher Training Institutes (NTTIs), three private Teacher Training Institutions, and six County Education Centers were operational as of 2023. Access to quality education and training, as well as corrective interventions remain fragmented and uneven. The refugee and host communities face additional barriers to education and employment.
Solution
Funded by IDA and the Global Partnership for Education, the $56.43 million project aims to increase skills in teaching and digital agriculture and strengthen education system management. The program is structured around five components:
- Teaching Skills to Strengthen Education Delivery
- Digital Skills for Agriculture
- Inclusion of Refugee and Host Communities
- System Building
- Contingency Emergency Response Component
Key design features include formal and accelerated teacher training delivered through NTTIs, and a digital agriculture skills program run by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MoHEST). Teacher training pathways consist of pre-service training, in-service continuous development, and an accelerated secondary program (ASEP) targeted at unqualified volunteer teachers. Stipends are provided to encourage female participation. The digital agriculture program addresses critical climate vulnerabilities and food insecurity by equipping youth with the tools needed for climate-resilient, productive employment. It blends online instruction from international experts with local support from trained tutors, and includes a stipend and peer support for disadvantaged youth, especially refugees and women. System strengthening involves capacity assessments, policy development, and improving the Education Management Information System (EMIS).
Implementation is managed by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) and MoHEST through dedicated Project Implementation Units (PIU). The program prioritizes transparent, inclusive, merit-based selection with a focus on gender equity and support for refugee and host communities. Dissemination is enabled through partnerships with UNHCR, local institutions, and state-level authorities. Flexible and modular delivery models, supported by evaluations and adaptation cycles, make the program context-sensitive and scalable over time.
Insights
Launched in 2024, the project aims to benefit over 500,000 students with improved education, including 11,000 teachers and 3,500 youth trained in digital agriculture, with specific targets for female and refugee/host community beneficiaries. Teacher certification and employment indicators are tied to gender and refugee inclusion benchmarks, with targets to have 35% of trained teachers and agriculture trainees be female. The rehabilitation of 10 National Teacher Training Institutions (NTTIs) and the re-operationalization of 40 schools in refugee-hosting areas, combined with grants and infrastructure upgrades, will further extend educational access. The strengthening of the EMIS is a key objective for improved system management. Expected impacts are improved human capital, enabling populations to rise out of poverty, accelerated economic growth, higher resilience, and stronger social cohesion. Further evaluations and assessments are required to identify real outcomes from this intervention that could illustrate its impact in concrete terms.