Students in Panyijiar County, Unity State, staged a peaceful protest on Friday, demanding access to national examinations amid uncertainty over arrangements for candidates in the opposition-controlled area.
The demonstration involved Primary Eight pupils and Senior Four students, who urged authorities to ensure they could sit the 2026 examinations, saying they should not be disadvantaged by political and security-related challenges.
Primary Eight examinations are scheduled to run from November 16 to 20, while Senior Four examinations are due to begin on November 23 and end on December 1.
Students in Akobo County in Jonglei State also staged a peaceful demonstration on Saturday, November 14, over similar concerns about arrangements for the national examinations.
Both Panyijiar and Akobo are under the administration of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO), rather than the government in Juba. The political and administrative divisions have complicated coordination between national and local authorities over examination arrangements.
Suzan Nyakong, a Primary Eight candidate in Ganyiel, the county headquarters, told Radio Tamazuj that the students had organised the demonstration to demand access to the national examinations.
She said they are not involved in political disputes and should not be made to suffer because of disagreements between political leaders.
“We are protesting because the government of South Sudan has decided to cancel our examinations in Panyijiar and Akobo counties. We are not politicians; we are just children of this country,” Nyakong said.
“We are holding this protest because we hope the government will listen to our voices and allow us to sit the national examinations,” she added.
Stephen Riak Gai, Panyijiar County’s military commissioner, confirmed the protests, saying it involved Primary Eight pupils and Senior Four students.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, Gai said examination materials had been collected from Juba International Airport by the National Security Service, citing the county’s status as an SPLA-IO-controlled area.
He did not provide further details about the status of the examination papers or how they would be delivered to the county.
Peter Lam, the county’s deputy director of education, said the students were demanding their right to education and should not be affected by political disagreements.
“Panyijiar is part of South Sudan, and its children cannot be denied the right to sit national examinations, both Primary Eight and Senior Four,” Lam said.
He said 599 candidates had registered for the examinations in the county, including 393 Primary Eight pupils and 206 Senior Four students.
The Primary Eight candidates comprised 182 girls and 211 boys, while the Senior Four candidates included 107 girls and 99 boys, he said.
Lam said the time remaining before the examinations was limited and arrangements for the candidates had not been finalised.
“Political disputes should be set aside in this situation because there is no reason our children should suffer,” he said.
Lam warned that all 599 candidates risk missing the examinations if the outstanding arrangements are not resolved.
He added that travelling to neighbouring Leer County to sit the examinations is not a viable option because of poor road access between the two counties.
Disputed arrangements
Unity State Minister of Information Nyakenya Johannes Keah said the state government had proposed transporting Primary Eight candidates from Panyijiar to neighbouring Leer County to sit their examinations and returning them afterwards.
In a statement on Sunday, Keah said UNICEF had agreed to facilitate the transportation arrangements and parents had consented to the proposal.
However, she alleged that Panyijiar County Commissioner Stephen Gai Riak and forces under the command of Tap Jiech had rejected the arrangement and prevented the candidates from leaving the county.
Keah said the state government is concerned that Primary Eight candidates risk missing the 2026 examinations because of insecurity and political differences.
She appealed to community leaders, parents and other stakeholders to engage local authorities and ensure candidates could travel safely to sit the examinations.
Keah said the state government is calling on all concerned parties to prioritise the interests of children and urgently resolve the dispute.
“No child’s future should be sacrificed at the altar of political differences and insecurity,” she said.
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