(JUBA) – A public dispute over the quality of higher education in South Sudan has broken out between the head of the National Bureau of Statistics and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba, after the statistics chief said the country’s oldest public university produces “degrees without skills.”
Dr. Ting Mayai, Director General of the National Bureau of Statistics, first praised Professor John Akec at a gathering in Juba on Saturday, describing him as a leader who makes decisions and stands by them without regret. But the former University of Juba professor quickly shifted to criticism, arguing that the institution has failed to equip graduates with the practical skills needed in the labour market.
He said that under Professor Akec’s leadership, the university has continued to produce qualifications that fall short of developing competent professionals. “What we have are degrees without skills,” Dr. Ting said, adding that the institution lacks the capacity to produce graduates with the quality and practical competence required to drive national development.
His remarks followed an announcement by the Ministry of General Education and Instruction that South Sudanese students who go abroad on scholarships perform poorly.
The comments drew a swift response from Professor Akec, who defended the broader challenges of nation building and appeared to reject the criticism. In a statement posted on Facebook, Professor Akec said meaningful national progress cannot be achieved through public rhetoric alone. “Speeches and lofty statements in the media will not build a country. Serious developmental projects, rule of law, security of property, and enforcement of contracts will. Ignore these at our own peril,” he said.
Although Professor Akec did not mention Dr. Ting by name, his remarks came a day after the Bureau of Statistics chief questioned the quality of education at the University of Juba.
The exchange has seized public attention, exposing a growing debate over the quality of higher education in South Sudan and whether universities are producing graduates equipped with the practical skills needed to support the country’s development agenda.