I would like to thank Garang Kenyang for these pictures which he brought from Marialbaai. I was impressed particularly by the buildings which I believe to be Marialbaai old school buildings. I don't know whether this school was primary or secondary school prior to the disruption of 1983 war. But, I am glad that there are such buildings standing still despite the massive destruction caused by the war.
Dear Ayatians,
I think this old school might need innovation and upgrading to make it durable and long lasting. I have never been in that part of Aweil, but I believe this school could make a good learning environment for students. The issue of school is the greatest problem our children have been facing. Therefore, I would encourage you though you don't have sufficient resources to upgrade this school. It looks good to me.
Furthermore, I would like to tell you to talk to local administration, especially county commissionership to open this school though there are no qualified teachers and facilities. The local administration should open schools even under big trees so that we could encourage our children to go to school. I was motivated when I saw Makum's adult girls school. That was great thing. Girls need education like boys so that our society has both sexess participating in its re-construction and development. This mission of giving both boys and girls equal opportunity to go to school is what we should emphasize to our local leaders. Education is the enlightenment and transformation of humans, and thus our leaders must understand it in correct perspective and put it in practice. We need to educate our kids. The best way we can quickly transform our society is be giving our children [both boys and girls] the opportunity to go to school.
I didn't need to write a lengthy message but I was forced by the need to stress the importance of providing education to our kids.
Allow me to express my innermost heart feelings for your remarkable words all geared towards developments of our counties in our state (Aweil), which in the long run if implemented will bring development of Aweil as a whole. What else can say to you? You have said it all brother. The fate of our state principally rest upon our shoulders and we must compete with other states both economically, socially, and politically. I believe our state (Aweil) has potential people this time with different skills and together we can uplift it by working hand in hand and in collaboration of one another. To be sincere with you, your words really touched my heart and I almost felt tears rolling dwon my chin.
Once again, thank you very much my long friend, brother and ally in the war of tyrany.
Best Regards Bol Ajith Akot
-- Edited by Bol Ajith Akot at 10:41, 2005-11-11
-- Edited by Bol Ajith Akot at 10:42, 2005-11-11
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Togetherness, better understanding, love for one another, and unity are the best tools for the success of any community.
Mr. Garang Aher, Thanks for your word of encouragement and hope; both to local counties such as Ayat and Aweil in general. Truly speaking, development and education, are interconnected. It is upon every society or its people for that matter to recognize that connection and strive for making the best out of their local manpower---. Thanks for the comments.
Dear compatriot, Garang Aher, First of all, welcome a board and enjoy your membership privilege with us. Your good attitudes predisposed you to think prudently always about development. Members of this board and I are extremely appreciative toward your developmental contributed ideas. We will focus on extensive renovation to the school buildings you have just seen on our photo album. It wasn’t secondary school before the disruption of 1983 war, but Primary and I think my fellow Ayatians can correct me because I am not quite sure.
However, it is currently serving as both primary and secondary school. I heard that we have senior one and two in those school’s buildings. Both two classes came from three consecutive counties of Aweil: Aweil North County, Aweil West County, and Ayat County. Having mentioned that, I think we need to exercise proactive approach to implement what we talked about concerning development. There is no way for Aweil students to travel from that end to Rumbek which is so far while we have ability and all the resources to build our own school.
In addition, we are the generation born at the time crisis preceded development. Now that war is over, we need to encourage one another to avail ourselves to development. Should we fail to make significant changes at our time, we will not expect any other generation that will bring changes. This is because our experiences abroad provide us a wider perspective on development or qualified us to be better generation in Southern Sudan.
We don’t have to wait for time that Aweil citizens will be ready for development. We can start without delay, hoping that development can come from different directions. If high school exists in Ayat County, it can serve all Mading Aweil citizens in a similar way and no one will move to far distance looking for high school. Garang Aher, you are welcome for all time with such piece of advice and enjoy with us. I wish you all preeminent and have a pleasant weekend.
Santino Dut Akot.
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He who winks maliciously causes grief and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
I am profoundly honored by your warm welcome to this website. I love the fact that most of you are motivating, inspiring, considerate, future oriented, optimistic, and forward-looking young men, and perhaps women though I see few of them here. In fact I have been the member of this board from its commencement until when it was down owing to technical problems. I appreciate you have made it start working for us. Keep up a great work! "Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for country." John F. Kennedy.
With respect to this issue of school. I believe and so do you that we have a tremendous task at home to do. However, we are facing the problem of inadequate qualified manpower and funds to put our plans in a ful operation, and to get our counties and state moving forward. We know these problems have been there though they were exacerbated by the war and conflicts in our region.
Now that there is peace and a little stability in the region. It is a time we should think critically of what we should do, and I am glad you have been working hard to make something good out of that ravaged county of Ayat, which is actually the way to development and stability of social, economic, and political lives of our people. Our people having been faced by unprecedented social and economic challenges in the past twenty two years, need people who have ability to do somehting to alleviate their broken lives. They need people who will fix their problems such that they could live a better life like other humans on earth.
And the way to do that is what you have all said. Education is a fundamental component of our success in those endeavors. We need education to fight successfully and be able to move at the same pace with other states in the South. Alic Garang put it correctly that education is interconnected with development. That is exactly true. A people who have education think better and always appreciate flexibility as well as adaptation of better strategies to improve our lives. Education also makes humans more productive than when they lack education. By this, I mean that, though, we don't have enough resources it would be good to make education a top prority at this time, for it is the only way we can make a positive and open image of our counties.
Most important, I would also love to point out that things would move at a faster pace if we build a strong partnership with our local leaderships back home. We, in disapora, need to stress the importance of this partnership in the process of development in the war ravaged counties. We need to organize and build a team work in this tough time in our history. By working as partners we will have trust, honesty, cooperation, and accountability in doing things. There will be no worries on both sides, either at home or disapora due to the fact that we will be working for a common good. We need to build the partnership.
Equally important, I would also like to point out that the creation of an oversight independent committee would be extremely important. And this committee should be comprised of you young men in disapora. Its main responsibility should be to evaluate operations and progress of your plans and goals in the county.
Dut Akot,
Learning institutions or facilities are not limited only to the need of that area. School in Ayat is for every child who is qualified on merit to go there. So, there is no worry of this happening in our state. Ayat school belongs to all of us in the state. Furthermore, any teacher from either West, South, North, Central Aweil could move to Ayat high school and teach there if he/she likes that environment. So, it is great Ayat schools are being used by students from Aweil state. It is also a better way to find new friends from different parts of state. Dut Akot, you got nice pictures though. They are great photos.
Alic Garang, Dut Akot, and Bol Ajith, may be you should teach there for awhile if you go home later. I would love to teach there too. Would it not be interesting thing to do? I suppose we should stop at schools and give lectures.
