Safety concerns keep children away from school

Education officials say it is now safe for school children to return to their classrooms, but many parents prefer to keep their children at home, in fear that fighting might erupt again, following violence in Torit on Monday, July 11.

Despite several assurance from state officials that the situation in the sate is calm, and that people can return to their normal daily activities, only a few children and teachers make their way to schools.

Only five children came to school and the teachers were two.

St. Teresa Primary School is one of the few schools in Torit that opened as of Thursday, July 14. The school’s head teacher, Simplisio Hiwari, said “the turn-up this morning was not up to date. Only five children came to school and the teachers were two. I don’t know exactly what had happened to the pupils, maybe they fear the situation”.

Imatong State Minister of Education, Jacob Atari Albino, said it was good that children stayed at home in recent days, however, now that calm has return, all children must go back to school. “The two days have really affected the learning schemes because most of the children have left the school and there was no teaching taking place,” he said. “But now my message is, the school is to start from today.”

Catherin Micheal, a mother of four, said during Monday’s fighting her children went missing while at school, the reason why she prefers to keep her children at home. “I am unable to sent my kids to school. During Monday’s fight I was at work, my children were at school, they ran in different direction and I was just running from one place to another looking for them because they were scattered,” seh said. “Late evening, I found them in UNMISS. So I am not sending them to school because of fear.”

A group of children have reportedly drowned in a river, as they fled heavy gunfire in Torit town on Monday, according to Radio Miraya.

I told them to go to school but they said they fear.

Lilly Wara, a mother of five, said her children resist when she tells them to go to school. “I told them to go to school but they said they fear. They tell me: ‘Mum you want us to go to school while you are at work, yet on Monday we suffered running’.”

Atari insist that parents should send their children to school, as the government has assured its citizens that the situation is calm in Torit, also dismissing claims that some schools have been occupied by the military.

“Currently I may not aware of that. I think there is no school which is occupied by military at moment. I was trying to move around, to see […] if the children will come back to school, but I found nobody and I have not seen any military occupying the schools,” Atari said.