University of Juba launches fundraising to build more lecture halls

By Simon Deng

The administration of the University of Juba on Tuesday said it will be launching fundraising campaign to raise 3 million U.S dollars to enable construction of new lecture rooms.

 “This is a general briefing to the public about the ongoing campaign to raise 3 million dollars for construction of a new lecture hall complex that would contain also a library with 1000 seats, and then a wing of mixed uses including computer labs, seminars room and business areas,” said John Apuruot Akech, the Vice Chancellor for the University of Juba during press conference in Juba.

 Akech disclosed that there has been increase of recent in the number of post-graduate students amid limited learning space.

He said they are embarking on fundraising in order to absorb a minimum of 10,000 post-graduate and 60,000 under-graduate students by 2030.

Akech said that the University of Juba in 2014 was having about 10,000 students and less than 300 academic staff.

 “The numbers have not coped well with increase in infrastructure, and that is why we have created a 100 dollar fund that will allow us to build this complex, we have challenge of spaces, the lecture halls are congested and we are also asking donation from businesses, companies and NGOs,” he said.

“Now we are raising funds to reduce the cost on students, if we are able to raise half of that value then the students will pay half once this campaign is successful,” added Akech.

University of Juba is the leading higher education institution of learning in South Sudan.