Time To Stop Dependency In Jieng (Dinka) Communities Of South Sudan

By Ater Yuot R. Amogpai

Roughly, more than 80% of Jieng communities are living in rural areas without a proper access to modern services such as electricity, schools, and health services among others. Modernization started by colonization era and the notable firsts of Jieng went to schools at around 1940s. Most of them were born at around 1940s or earlier 1930s and started their schools at around 1950s or 1960s. They were born in villages where education was not a right and only younger children were sent to school.

Jieng is a very communal society in which everything is almost shared. For instance, marriage is a family responsibility rather than a personal. The main purpose of marriage is then to raise big family and produce many children. Normally, Jineg marry girls immediately after their first menstruation starting from 14 years old onward. Big family means wealth, power and protection as well as reputation in a society. In this regard, Jieng normally marry wives to their dead people (brothers, cousins, sisters etc.)  And attentively children of the same man name themselves after ghost fathers. Everything depends on cattle, the bigger the number of cattle herds, the many wives and children you have. Interestingly, Jieng in village will leave to seeking treatment but at the expensive of a relative in town. 

In Jieng communities, one man can reach to over thirty (30) wives and that children are still born and name after him despite of his death. Many explanations can be traced in here that his elder sons continue to marrying his wives. These sons can be older than some of his wives by 10 to 20 years which qualified them as their husbands. Another practice is that a man can marry to his uncles who are still alive. Further, if one of the family has fertility problem, his wife may secretly get pregnant from a family member probably a brother or a cousin.

In spite of the modernization, a few Jieng who moved to towns seeking education and employment still practicing those customs. However, their children who never grown up in villages face obstacles to accept or adopt those practices. This in turn has remarkably increased the level of burden to those Jieng living and working in towns.

Jieng are relatively rich people in term of natural resources that include fertile land, livestock, and fishers’ resources among others. Even the current oil operation in Upper Nile State and Unity state are mostly in Jieng areas. These are opportunities if properly enhanced could create prosperous societies who entirely depend on themselves. For instance, more than 20 million cattle herds own by Jieng communities, still these resources are not yet economically utilized. The fertile land not yet cultivated and fish in rivers and swampy areas not yet economically recognized by Jieng. Oil is a national commodity but law gives percentage to Jieng communities living inside operation zones which is another prosper opportunity. 

Dependency has become a very big issue in Jieng communities. Many use kinship to force their relatives deliver services. Productivity in Jieng community is very limited because of its communal characteristics. Jieng communities in towns should have introduced innovative or complimentary ideas. Marriage is a personal decision but this does not mean we should not involve our parents. The main purpose of marriage is to have a partner who completes the rest of his/her life with you. After marriage you are mandated to three priorities and responsibilities whether you are a man or a woman. The first priority is your family (wife/husband/children), the second priority is your parents (Father/Mother) and the third and last priority after you got married are your father/mother in laws.

Productivity and independency are to be encouraged and that livestock, fishers and lands should be economically oriented resources. It is true that some Jieng in towns own cattle herds in camps in rural areas, now it is a time to introduce veterinary medicine and improve health of livestock to better benefit the community.

It said “You shall not covet”. Productivity and Independency must be practiced and that this culture of desire what does not belong to us should be abandoned immediately. God helps those who are helping themselves. There is a different meaning between a person under a mountain and a person who is climbing.

Education will reduce illiteracy in Jieng communities. Education does not mean attending classes in schools and acquiring degrees or certificates only but phasing out conventional and adopting modernization culture. Education and modernization are better to improving our living style tremendously. It does not make sense if educated Jieng persons with tools of change and improvement in their hands still follow the traditions which are described as strange customs.

e-mail: ater.amogpai@gmail.com

Current and Future Trends of Engineering Education in South Sudan

By Ater Yuot R. Amogpai

Before 1990, there was only University of Juba in South Sudan with Colleges of Medicine, Natural 

Resources and Environmental Studies, Economic and Social Studies, Education and Rural Development. College of Engineering and Architecture was established by 1997 when university was operating in Khartoum. As a new established college, it has been benefiting from the University of Khartoum and Sudan University of Science and Technology. Thus, Students used to attend their lectures, labs experiments, workshops and libraries at these universities. It was not an easy task but the college managed to sustain and graduated professional engineers who in turn proved their performances in different engineering practices.

In 2011, the University has to move back to Juba after 20 years operational in Khartoum. The university returned to juba but with additional colleges such as College of Engineering and Architecture, College of Industrial Sciences, College of Arts, College of Management Science, College of Law, and College of Music and Drama. The existence university infrastructures in Juba could not accommodate all these colleges and therefore staff and students have to narrow themselves into small spaces to perform their duties.

There are several challenges facing the School of Engineering and Architecture, and that includes, lack of competent teaching staff, fully equipped library with digital and online presence. Limited ICT and laboratories, little resources for school to innovate, limited research capabilities among others. When I joined the Department of Electrical Engineering in January 2012, there was only one permanent staff, Dr. Martino Head of the Department. He used to teach Control Systems courses and I started teaching Power Systems courses. Communications and related other courses have to be outsourced. The same issue happened with Departments of Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture.

University of Juba is the only South Sudanese higher institution offers engineering education in the country. In 2017, I was short listed by the University of Rumbek of Science and Technology to outline the project of engineering education at the university. Unfortunately, the project did not kick off due to delay approval from the ministry of higher education.

Engineering students at the University of Juba struggle a lot to perform their labs and workshops duties. One of the requirements for engineering students to fulfill their graduation is to pass labs and workshop exercises. In fact, it is a teaching family of engineering who really tendering to offer a minimal requirement of engineering education with limited resources in hands. Just envisage, a student who graduated without labs and workshops exercises what engineering skills he or she acquires?

Though, it is a huge efforts but not difficult for those newly graduated engineers to practice a little knowledge they acquired at university. University is a self-learning and research institution, teaching comprises of only 25% and the rest of 75% is left for the student efforts. However, if labs and workshops are missed then engineering student is mandated to complete the rest of 50% through research and self-learning.

For better engineering education equivalents to other world engineering educations all supportive teaching methods must be made available. Labs, workshops, strong internet service and standard libraries connected to other world universities libraries should be first made ready. Memorandum of understanding with regional and international universities on engineering education should be signed.

Currently, one of the most challenging factors facing school of Engineering and Architecture is financial capacity. Lack of competent staff could be one of a negative aspects of financial constraints. A staff may find another source of income since salaries are not enough and systematically not deliver on time. If the staff is given the minimum incentives, they will be motivated and the University projects will not stall. Developing Masters and PhD programs would not only generate money, but intensify research capabilities of the school. Short courses or workshops for individuals, NGOs, private sector and government institutions add a value on school stuff. Diploma programs can as well be part of the school of Engineering and Architecture plan program.