Chinese-printed textbooks approved for use in South Sudan

JUBA — Officials and experts from South Sudan on Thursday hailed the newly printed Chinese textbooks for primary education for reflecting the local context of the country.

The English, mathematics and science textbooks printed by Shanghai Educational Publishing House for primary pupils in grades two to four have been lauded for depicting the real-life situation of South Sudan.

Christopher Awii Emilio, deputy director for curriculum development in the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, says the textbooks capture the context of South Sudan in terms of family, society and its diverse cultures.

"The syllabus of the textbooks are close to the real-life context of South Sudan … and this is depicting the real-life situation of the country," says Emilio at the closing of the second textbook review meeting in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Both Chinese educational experts and their South Sudanese counterparts attended the four-day meeting. The project is part of the China-Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project in Education in South Sudan launched on Dec 6 last year.

Emilio discloses the teacher guide textbooks provide all the competencies expected from the learners.

"The layout of the textbooks is well presented, and illustrations are very clear and relevant to South Sudan," he says.

John Louis Wani, lecturer at Upper Nile University, says he was happy that the textbooks have addressed the needs of South Sudanese children.

"We want to acknowledge that the books have been really well done, and we are happy that they have followed much of what we need in our curriculum," says Wani.

Wani also says the teaching and learning strategies outlined in the textbooks follow the national curriculum of South Sudan.

"We would like to thank those who developed the books. You have really understood our situation and have really addressed the needs of our children," he says.

Kuyok Abol Kuyok, undersecretary for the Ministry of General Education and Instruction, says they included an important cultural component of teaching Chinese language under the second phase of this educational project.

"You will be pleased to hear that the Chinese language classes in Juba Day Secondary School are becoming increasingly popular, drawing interest not only from the students but also from teachers, as well as members of the public," he adds.

Mu Jianjun, the counselor for economic and commercial affairs at the Chinese embassy in South Sudan, says the full implementation of the technical cooperation project is an important accomplishment from the participation of South Sudan in the China-Africa Cooperation Framework.

"The Phase II Technical Cooperation Project will gather the advanced experience and wisdom of educational experts from China and South Sudan to improve the teaching materials for general education," he says.

And the project involves the printing and supply of over 1.6 million textbooks and capacity building of over 600 South Sudanese teachers and educational managers.

Since the launch of the China-Aided Phase II Technical Cooperation Project in Education in South Sudan, the publishing house has gathered Chinese educational experts and set up three groups for the development of textbooks of the subjects of mathematics, English and science for primary grades two to eight.

In January, the publishing house, together with the Ministry of General Education and Instruction organized the first textbook review meeting, which involved the close communication and consultation between the Chinese and South Sudanese experts, and outlined a clear structure and ideology for further development.