Western Equatoria State has begun sending 39 students to Aweil in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State under the Adut Salva Kiir Scholarship programme.
The programme is named after Adut Salva Kiir Mayardit, the daughter of President Salva Kiir. She was appointed Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programmes in August 2025.
The students, 21 girls and 18 boys, were selected from Western Equatoria to continue their secondary education from Senior One to Senior Four.
The programme is intended to support vulnerable students and children of veterans from across South Sudan.
Kubako Emmanuel, deputy director for examination and assessment at the State Ministry of General Education and Instruction and chairperson of the scholarship programme in Western Equatoria, said the beneficiaries were selected based on academic and social criteria.
Speaking at Yambio Airstrip as the students departed on Thursday, Emmanuel said priority was given to pupils who had completed Primary Eight but whose families could not afford to pay for their secondary education.
Children of veterans were also considered, he said.
Emmanuel said academic performance was another criterion, with students who obtained distinctions and credits in their Primary Eight examinations considered for the scholarship.
“This was not a general kind of scholarship where we can bring everybody. The criteria were very strict, focusing on vulnerable students who cannot afford to pay for themselves to attend secondary school,” he said.
Eight students travelled by commercial flight on Thursday and had arrived safely in Aweil, according to Emmanuel.
He said a further 13 students were scheduled to travel from Yambio to Juba before continuing to Aweil. The remaining students are expected to travel later.
Emmanuel said the students were being transported by air because of poor road conditions in Western Equatoria.
He said the Office of the President was facilitating transportation from Yambio to Juba and onward to Aweil.
Emmanuel said the scholarship programme would also bring together students from different communities and parts of South Sudan.
Some beneficiaries told Radio Tamazuj they were pleased to have been selected and said the scholarship would allow them to continue their education.
Emmanuel Anthony, one of the beneficiaries, said the scholarship had given students from Western Equatoria an opportunity to pursue secondary education. He urged fellow beneficiaries to remain focused on their studies.
Kubanina Victor said she plans to complete secondary school and study arts. She said she hopes to enter politics in South Sudan.
Another beneficiary, Mborije Kaka, said she was grateful to have been selected.
She urged students to take their education seriously and avoid cheating in examinations. She said she hopes to become a doctor or establish her own company after completing her studies.
Parents and residents in Yambio have welcomed the scholarship programme.
Tambua William, a Yambio resident, said parents appreciate the government’s decision to provide scholarships for secondary school students.
“On behalf of the parents, I would like to sincerely appreciate the initiative taken by the Government of the Republic of South Sudan to provide scholarships for secondary school students,” he said.
He said parents welcome the opportunity for vulnerable students from different parts of the country to access secondary education.
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