South Sudan, Ethiopia agree on education exchange programs

South Sudan and the Ethiopian government on Monday inked agreement to promote higher education exchange programs.

Gabriel Changson Chang, South Sudan’s Minister of Higher Education said the memorandum of understanding reached will see teachers and students from the two countries undertaking joint research and education exchanges.

 “We will encourage our universities to have friendship because through friendship we will do a number of things such as exchange programs between the university teaching staff, and also joint research intended to solve the problems of the two countries,” said Chang during press conference in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Chang revealed that Ethiopia will help them fill the glaring gaps within the higher education sector.

“We will sit as the ministry to determine what type of teaching staff is required by our public universities and technical colleges that are coming up,” he said.

Berhanu Nega, the Ethiopian Minister for Education, said that they are aiming to broaden cooperation in education with countries in the region to transform the collective wellbeing of their people.

 “Ethiopia is now embarking on broader education cooperation programs with neighboring countries for our children to study together and get to know each other,” said Nega.

Since independence, South Sudan has been cooperating with Ethiopia in the field of education, where several students have been sponsored to study various courses in Ethiopian colleges.

The two countries in February 2017 signed in Juba agreements to strengthen cooperation on security, trade, and development along the borders.

They also agreed to construct roads linking Ethiopia’s Gambella to Paluoch through Pagak.