USAID is rehabilitating the University of Juba, allowing one of Sudan's most influential universities to resume its degree courses.
Rebuilding the University of Juba
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| A professor interacts with students in the Juba lecture hall. |
Founded after the country's first civil war in 1975, the University of Juba was the first university to be established in southern Sudan. During the ensuing years, the university became a powerful symbol of Sudanese unity and integration, as it brought students from every region of the country to study in Juba. However, in 1989, due to the deteriorating security situation in the south, the university was temporarily relocated to Khartoum, a move that was resisted by the citizens of Juba, who have been adamantly calling for its return since the signing of the Peace Accords in January 2005.
In early April of this year, the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) transferred 600 first-year students from Khartoum to join 200 students studying in Juba. The transfer was the first step in the eagerly awaited return of the university to its intended home. In addition, another 1,000 students will transfer from Khartoum in 2008. Unfortunately, years of neglect and war had left university facilities in a dilapidated state, making them unsuitable for students.
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| A student prepares for class in the newly rehabilitated Juba University Library. |
USAID responded to a request by the GOSS Minister of Education to help with urgent renovations so that the new class of first-year students could be accommodated in the spring semester. USAID renovated the main auditorium and the library, both of which had become largely unusable during the war. With these core facilities functional, the university was able to restart undergraduate courses this past spring.
The reopening of the Juba campus for undergraduate degree courses is a key symbolic step in the return to normalcy following the Peace Accords. The University of Juba continues to maintain its tradition of accepting students from all parts of Sudan, not just from the south, and the university administration and student union are working to ease the concerns of new northern students that fear harassment. For example, the university organized bus excursions in and around the city to allow northern students to meet southerners and foster social interactions across ethnic and regional lines. The return of the University of Juba to its original campus is expected to help spread a culture of peace and contribute to the post-conflict recovery in Sudan.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C: : Michele Amatangelo, Program Manager, Tel: (202) 712-4275, mamatangelo@usaid.gov
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