Aims and Management
Jok has been going back to his home community and Luonyaker, where he was schooled four miles from Marol, every year since 1996, and the first question he was always asked, by young and old, is: “Can you support a local school?” When Jok saw the faces of the children of Luonyaker, it was hard to go on saying “no.”
One school will not solve the educational crisis in South Sudan. Every rural community needs a school of this kind. But one school will be a start, and possibly an example for other communities to follow with local and foreign assistance—beginning with funds from Marol Academy. These are the main features of the school in Marol:
-It is the only fully functional school in Apuk section of Dinka, an area with a population of 700,000 people.
-The school is co-educational and offers an environment accessible and safe for girls.
-It administers placement tests to older children in order to separate different age groups and assign students to classes on the basis of their performance.
-The school is a vehicle for HIV/AIDS and general public health awareness (School children have proven most effective public health message bearers throughout rural Africa).
-The school will create a cadre of young people in the Apuk community who understand the value of peace and education and the opportunities they bring.
Two important emphases of the Marol School, along with academic achievement, are 1) HIV/AIDS and public health awareness and, 2) ecological and sustainable environments training.
The local community is building basic structures required for the school to continue development, and the initial funds are assisting in this endeavor. Some basic building materials, such as nails and corrugated iron for roofing, have been obtained from Uganda, many days away by road. The funds are also facilitating the payment of teachers and administrators during the construction process.
The school will be maintained by public subscription and community support until such time as the fledgling government of South Sudan is in a position to take it over and administer it. Fees may be introduced if the recovering local economy permits so.
The local governing board of the school is made up of community elders. A head master, Bol Piol Bolong, and thirteen other teachers have been recruited. They are: Cerillo Madut Anei, Dotjang Agany Awer, Manhom Dhoor, Cerillo Akuei Mawar, Yak Kuot Deng, Duyak Reec Duyak. The school supervisor—a local person from Marol—is Mayik Thiik Mayik, who also is the accountant for a nonprofit called World Vision, located in Luonyaker, South Sudan.
The flag of South Sudan