Aim for “sound education” in Universities to Fight Ignorance: South Sudanese Archbishop

Juba, 14 October, 2022 / 2:14 AM

The Archbishop of Juba in South Sudan has urged students in the East-Central African nation to aim for “sound education” at university level. 

Archbishop Stephen Ameyu Martin who was speaking during his pastoral visit to the African Zeal University (AZU) in Lobonok in Juba on Tuesday, October 11 said that aiming for formal education in institutions of higher learning can go a long way in fighting ignorance in the world’s youngest nation.

“The war of liberation has ended. We have liberated ourselves from political oppression like what has happened during the civil war between the north and the south that had led to the independence of this nation,” Archbishop Ameyu said in reference to the 9 July 2011 event when South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.

“To some extent we have also liberated ourselves from political oppression,” he further said, adding that “what remains is another type of liberation … we must free ourselves from ignorance.”

The process of liberation from ignorance, the South Sudanese Bishop said, may not be easy “to overcome because it needs a lot of effort towards it to come to an end.”

The Local Ordinary of Juba Archdiocese who doubles as the Apostolic Administrator of South Sudan’s Torit Diocese said that the challenge of ignorance in South Sudan can best be “overcome through sound education within the university environment.”

On October 10, the Solemnity of St. Daniel Comboni in Sudan and South Sudan, Archbishop underscored the need for learners to embrace discipline during their life in learning institutions to guarantee a successful future.

“As Christians, we must be ready to discipline ourselves; without discipline, we cannot be successful in our lives,” Archbishop Ameyu said during his homily at St. Theresa Cathedral of Juba Archdiocese.

In his address to AZU students on October 11, Archbishop Ameyu said in reference to South Sudan, “Education remains elusive; those who are ready to open their hearts and minds to education will receive the glimpse of it.”

“That’s why it’s important for us to know that the truth about education has to be understood; in this way we can understand that education is like a drop of water that comes every day,” he said, and added, “The fruit that can build this society depends on you the young people who are getting this education.”

The 58-year-old South Sudanese Archbishop who started his Episcopal Ministry in March 2019 as Bishop of Torit Diocese further said education provides “a good opportunity” to build the future of citizens and helps society to grow.