The Vice chancellor said, the university is graduating about
2, 572 graduates.
The graduates are a six-year generation who accomplished
their studies in the university from 2006 to 2012.
The graduation ceremony was the first of its kind in South
Sudan since independence under theme: “Upper Nile University graduates for Quality education, prosperity and
development of the new nation.”
The Vice Chancellor Bol Deng Chol, congratulated students and
their parents and relatives for the achievements they have reached.
Professor Bol said, “The University has managed to arrive to
the end of the academic year passing through many challenges being lack of
teaching staff, infrastructures, students’ accommodations, reference books,
laboratory equipment, electronic libraries and scientific research centres.”
He asked the government of South Sudan to avail scholarships
and training opportunities to teaching staff so that they become more
qualified.
Like any other universities in South Sudan, Bol said the Upper
Nile University is badly affected by the austerity measures declared by the
government after the closure of oil wells.
“The cut of housing allowances in salaries if not address,
may affect the interest of teaching staff and workers in the university,” said
the vice chancellor.
Though the Ministry of Higher Education has said that there
is no students’ accommodation in the universities Upper Nile University has
continued supplying students feeding on its own.
The contractor has not paid student feeding for a yearlong
but the university shoulders it.
Bol said, the issue of student feeding is very sensitive and
it needs to be looked into by the government of South Sudan.
“If this issue is not treated well the opening of the next
academic year will be threatening,” he said.
He appealed, to the government to struggle for the
sustainable stability of higher education in the country.
The Graduation was attended by the chairman of the University
Administration Council Pagan Amum Okic
Amum called for education promotion across the country
especially higher education to cope with development in various sections in the
country.
Amum pointed out that taking care of university environment
is fundamental to ensure bringing up competent generation that will be capable
to work and deliver good services to the country in upcoming period.
Amum said it is a responsibility of graduates to transform
the traditional knowledge of our people into the modern ones.
“It is not possible that the country keeps its position of
becoming the last to get its independence and also the last in development
forever. We must change it,” said Amum.
Amum said the country is rich in resources so it needs
qualified workers who are nationals so that they work for the good of their
country.
He asked the local communities and leaders in greater Upper
Nile to support the university.
