Yei Teacher Training College (YTTC), a non-profit institution owned by the Episcopal Church of South Sudan’s Diocese of Yei, graduated 92 students on Thursday as it marked 25 years of training teachers and other professionals.
The college said 76 students graduated with certificates, including 21 women and 55 men, while 18 completed diploma programmes in education.
Two women graduated from the Agriculture Faculty as agricultural extension workers, while 10 students graduated from the Music Department.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, YTTC Principal Dr. James Kepo urged the graduates to apply the knowledge, professional skills and values they had acquired during their training.
He also called on the government to increase investment in education, particularly teacher training, to strengthen South Sudan’s education system.
“We are witnessing the graduation of 92 fresh teachers whom we are sending into the field. This college has been consistent in producing teachers every year, and we are adding another number of teachers to the workforce,” Kepo said.
He said YTTC graduates are expected to carry not only professional skills but also values and good character into their work.
“I want to urge them to carry with them the values, character and everything they have been prepared for, for the sake of the children of South Sudan,” he said.
Kepo also urged the government to treat education as a priority, saying investment in human capital would have longer-term benefits than reliance on natural resources.
“Our oil will one day go, and even the minerals will go. But when you invest in human beings, that knowledge multiplies itself,” he said.
Calls for graduates to be employed
Amule Felix, acting chairperson of the YTTC Board of Governors, said the college would continue to upgrade its academic programmes.
He urged national and state authorities to employ qualified graduates to help address staffing shortages in schools.
“Many schools are being handled by untrained teachers. Why don’t we have these graduates employed? It is my plea to the national ministry and the state ministries of education,” Felix said.
“They say the teaching profession is not attractive when it comes to salaries. This kind of notion has created a sense of neglect of the profession, as if it is a profession that does not profit,” he said.
Representing the National Ministry of General Education and Instruction, Ustaz Esther Okumu urged parents to support pregnant girls and young mothers who want to return to school.
“A girl should re-enter school after giving birth. So, parents should not back away because they have given birth or are pregnant. They should come back to school,” Okumu said.
“Teachers are sources of development, and without them there are no schools and no other professions that will be known.”
Aloro Peter, who completed a diploma programme, said he plans to use the knowledge gained at YTTC to improve learners’ understanding through effective teaching methods.
“Through the knowledge that I have gained from YTTC, I have been able to identify teaching strategies and methods that can help learners understand a topic or concept easily,” he said.
Another graduate, Tumalu Ruth, said her training had equipped her with skills she planned to apply in the classroom and use to promote inclusive education.
“As a professional teacher now, I am proud because being trained makes you understand how to deal with children, how to manage a class and how to control the learners,” she said.
“I also know how to prepare lesson plans and schemes of work. When I was untrained, I never knew how to control a class, but now, as a trained teacher, I know how to manage the learners.”
Development partners also pledged continued support for teacher education.
Chief guest Dr. Paul Pitia urged the graduates to maintain discipline, humility and compassion in their profession.
“Teaching is more than a profession; it is a vocation of service. You will now enter classrooms and you will not only teach. You are going out not only taking knowledge, but also integrity, humility, compassion and discipline, and you are going to change and transform our communities,” Pitia said.
The graduates received certificates and diplomas in education, agriculture and music during YTTC’s 12th graduation ceremony.
The ceremony brought together education officials, county authorities, development partners, parents, graduates and members of the Yei community.
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