Budget Hearing: Stakeholders propose 2% State levy to rescue Higher Education

2026-02-17 - 11:59

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – Stakeholders at the national budget hearing have proposed a 10-state funding levy to bridge the gap in higher education. The plan suggests redirecting 2% of every state’s budget toward university welfare, a move sparked by intense concerns over the Ministry of Higher Education’s current allocation. A University of Juba student stands before the microphone, her voice steady but her message chilling: learning has stopped because the lecturers can no longer afford the commute to class. Her testimony on Friday, February 13, 2026, transformed a dry budget hearing into a high-stakes debate over the survival of the South Sudanese state. Without a radical reinvestment in education, stakeholders warned the National Parliament, the nation’s future is “doomed.” The crisis has sparked a revolutionary proposal from the gallery. To bridge the widening gap in higher education funding, stakeholders are now demanding a 10-state funding levy—a mandatory 2% cut from every state’s budget to be redirected toward university welfare. “Let us remain in the states without a budget and give that budget to higher education so that our children can go ahead,” one participant urged. “If it is difficult to continue, a cut must be made from the ten states so that we are free.” https://www.eyeradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ONE-OF-THE-STAKEHOLDERS-ON-BUDGET-FOR-EDUCATION-.mp3 The frustration stems from a glaring disconnect in the 2025–2026 fiscal plan. While South Sudan celebrates its freedom with functioning public and private universities producing over 1,000 graduates annually, the national budget appears to have forgotten them. Critics describe the current proposal as a “concentrated budget” that fails to plan for employment vacancies or the professional integration of these new graduates. The fear is that the country is educating a generation for a workforce that does not yet exist on paper, while simultaneously failing to pay the lecturers who train them. From the front of the hall, Hon. Benjamin Ayali Koyongwa, Undersecretary for Planning at the Ministry of Finance, acknowledged the gravity of the situation. However, he met the room’s passion with the cold reality of the national ledger. “Resources are not always sufficient,” Koyongwa countered. “Because of scarcity, we wish to give all agencies sufficient funds, but we are constrained.” Koyongwa pointed to a massive 400% wage bill increase for civil servants implemented during the 2023–2024 fiscal year. That decision, while popular at the time, has left the Ministry struggling to keep up with monthly salary obligations. To the Undersecretary, the education crisis is not a lack of political will, but a symptom of a shrinking fiscal space. Despite the financial constraints, Koyongwa offered a rare moment of ideological alignment with the protesters. He categorized the welfare of teachers and lecturers as the “most intriguing question” facing South Sudanese leadership today—one that transcends simple accounting. “If we have a future, and if we are planning for it, then the person we should start with is the teacher,” Koyongwa remarked. “It is indeed important that we take care of our teachers if we want to keep learners in the classroom.” https://www.eyeradio.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/BENJAMIN-AYALI-ON-EDUCATION-BUDGET.mp3 As the hearing concluded, the sentiment within the National Parliament was clear: the status quo is a threat to national survival. South Sudan now faces a pivotal choice. It can continue to cite “resource scarcity,” or it can adopt radical measures—like the proposed 2% state levy—to ensure that “freedom” includes the right to a finished degree and a guaranteed job. The graduates are coming. The question remains whether the budget will be ready for them.