05/10/2022
The voices and messages of South Sudanese students in the Arab Republic of Egypt and their Case which led them to occupy the South Sudan Embassy in Cairo.
On Thursday early in the morning, South Sudanese students under government scholarship for the academic year 2021-2022 conducted a peaceful strike at the South Sudan Embassy in Egypt, Cairo.
The strike comes after the students were surprised last tuesday that the scholarship is not longer fully funded as they said.
In July 2021, the Egyptian scholarship was posted at the Ministry of Higher education, science and technology main office in Konyokonyo -Juba. The Ministry encouraged students to apply since the scholarship was said to be not any longer partially funded like the previous years. So, many students who were financially challenged saw this opportunity as the best option to pursue their further studies and they applied after being assured of privileges for instance; free accommodation, medical insurance, exemption from paying tuition and examination fees, monthly stipends , to and fro tickets (going and after studies).
Unfortunately, the minister of higher education, Hon. Changson Chang failed to sign the agreement that grants all the above till 2nd, June 2022. Before then, students started applying and in September the nominated students were shortlisted and were asked to submit their original certificates to be forwarded to the Egyptian Ministry of Higher education for the completion of admissions into Egyptian Universities. Then, South Sudan Ministry of higher education in Juba told the students that if one was in hurry he or she may use his or her own money to cater for ticket and complete admission processes in Egypt. Therefore, few students turned up early, more made it lately and some of them didn't make it up to now.
To add salt to the wound, those who came late were denied joining their respective universities and they were forced to suspend the whole academic year ( 2021-2022) until the new academic year due to start in October 2022. As students were in Egypt, for those who made it to universities were asked to pay monthly accommodation fees. Consequently, others infiltrated hostels illegally to live with their fellow admitted colleagues, while majority were hustling day and night to make sure they eat, drink and sleep in a rented apartments by themselves for almost five to seven months.
In March 2022, the students constituted seven members committee which conducted several meetings with the Embassy through education attache'. After numerous meetings, they continued assuring us that the scholarship was fully funded but the problem was that the scholarship MOU was not signed but not later than June, it would get signed. Luckily, the MOU was signed on 2nd June, 2022 by Minister Changson Chang and his Egyptian counterpart in presence of all their staff.
On the same day of signing of MOU, we were all informed through multiple social media outlets, that the MOU was signed with the immediate effect in October according to the cultural attache . With such news, we were all delighted and waited patiently.
As we had been waiting all these months, on 27th of September they unfortunately just surprised us that the scholarship is not longer fully funded but partially funded. As a result, we responded with peaceful strike/demonstration which led to successful occupation of the Embassy this morning of 29 of September.
Dear countrymen and women, we are the living examples of Egypt-SSD🇸🇸 scholarship, hence we are advising the general public to be cautioned about any fully funded scholarship to Egypt specially those whose results released recently for the academic year 2022-2023.
The allotted number was 400 students including postgraduates.
Meanwhile, the security personnel attacked the students today in the Embassy premises, 15 students were tortured and taken to unknown location, Amongst them one girl by name Abuk.
The Embassy right now remains under the Egyptian security occupation from outside and the other hand, the students are inside and their are more 50+. In numbers. One student became traumatised time when the Egyptian security attacks the students, so he critical traumatized.
The Egyptians security are acting based on the orders from South Sudanese Ambassador, he ordered the Egyptians security not to allow anybody to bring foods and water to those students inside the Embassy, although those students are already there for 5 days, since 29/9/2022.
One student was badly injured on his forehead he bled out a lot, to the extent he fainted for almost two hours then he regain his self again, but after that some of his relatives managed to pick him up, and the students made it sure their colleague was hand over to his relatives for further medical care.
demands:
1-The minister of High Education of South Sudan Hon. Changson Chang must solved their scholarship funds with immediate effect with an official document.
2-The 15 Students Plus one female student by Abuk must be all release.
3- Ambassador must not think that by using starvation tactics will make them leave the embassy, they rather advise Ambassador to act las responsible person instead of closed all the roads towards the embassy or rather not allowing anyone to supply the students with foods or water, he should solve our problems.
