Panyijiar students protest over uncertain exam access

Students in Panyijiar County, Unity State, staged a peaceful protest on Friday, demanding access to national examinations amid uncertainty over arrangements for candidates in the opposition-controlled area. The demonstration involved Primary Eight pupils and Senior Four students, who urged authorities to ensure they could sit the 2026 examinations. They argued that they should not be disadvantaged by political and security-related challenges.

The protest comes as Primary Eight examinations are scheduled to run from November 16 to 20, while Senior Four examinations are due to begin on November 23 and end on December 1. Suzan Nyakong, a Primary Eight candidate in Ganyiel, the county headquarters, said the students had organised the demonstration to demand access to the national examinations. She emphasised that they are not involved in political disputes and should not suffer because of disagreements between political leaders.

Stephen Riak Gai, the SPLM-appointed commissioner of Panyijiar County, confirmed the protests, saying they involved Primary Eight pupils and Senior Four students. He stated that examination materials had been collected from Juba International Airport by the National Security Service, citing the county’s status as an SPLA-IO-controlled area. However, he did not provide further details about the status of the examination papers or how they would be delivered to the county.

Peter Lam, the county’s deputy director of education, said the students were demanding their right to education and should not be affected by political disagreements. He noted that 599 candidates had registered for the examinations in the county, including 393 Primary Eight pupils and 206 Senior Four students. The Primary Eight candidates comprised 182 girls and 211 boys, while the Senior Four candidates included 107 girls and 99 boys.

Lam warned that all 599 candidates risk missing the examinations if the outstanding arrangements are not resolved. He added that travelling to neighbouring Leer County to sit the examinations is not a viable option because of poor road access between the two counties. This has raised concerns about the impact of political and security challenges on the education of students in Panyijiar County.

Unity State Minister of Information Nyakenya Johannes Keah said the state government had proposed transporting Primary Eight candidates from Panyijiar to neighbouring Leer County to sit their examinations and returning them afterwards. She stated that UNICEF had agreed to facilitate the transportation arrangements and parents had consented to the proposal. However, she alleged that Panyijiar County Commissioner Stephen Gai Riak and forces under the command of Tap Jiech had rejected the arrangement.

Keah appealed to community leaders, parents and other stakeholders to engage local authorities and ensure candidates could travel safely to sit the examinations. She emphasised that no child’s future should be sacrificed at the altar of political differences and insecurity. The state government is calling on all concerned parties to prioritise the interests of children and urgently resolve the dispute over examination arrangements for Panyijiar County students.

Key points

• Students in Panyijiar County protested over uncertainty about accessing national examinations.
• The protest involved Primary Eight pupils and Senior Four students.
• 599 candidates had registered for the examinations in the county.