By Stuart Bogere

KIU, Main Campus - South Sudan's government has reopened schools after closure for more than one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that rose in March last year.

According to Vice President in Charge of Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, this decision comes in the wake of the recent drop in COVID-19 infections since March.

He said “COVID-19 is still with us but we have decided to reopen schools and will strictly follow COVID-19 preventative measures in the schools."

Akol noted that schools will only operate at half capacity as preventive measures against COVID-19.

Minister of General Education and Instruction, Awut Deng Acuil, called upon parents and guardians to enroll their children, including pregnant and breast feeding girls, adding that the government is doing everything in its power to ensure that schools reopen safely.

The South Sudan government in partnership with GESS will pay capitation grants, in addition to cash transfers, to girls at levels from primary 5 to senior 4, she disclosed.

The schools were shut down in March 2020 and the government reopened schools in phases with final year students allowed to attend classes in October 2020.

Currently South Sudan has regestered 10,602 COVID-19 Cases, 115 deaths, 10,312 recoveries.