Dozens of Jonglei students selected for national scholarship program

2026-03-22 - 09:06

Thirty-eight vulnerable children in Jonglei State will receive high school scholarships under a program initiated by Senior Presidential Envoy Adut Salva Kiir. A national technical team led by Akoc Akuei Manhiem verified the candidates after their presentation from the State Minister of Education, Samuel Ador Thon. The scholarship program, launched in February, targets children of war veterans and disadvantaged families for the 2026–2029 academic period. Each state is expected to nominate 100 students, with the first phase admitting 38 students per state to Cornerstone Secondary School in Aweil, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State. Some beneficiaries had been engaged in menial work despite being of school-going age, highlighting the need for the program. Akoc Akuei Manhiem confirmed that the selected candidates from Jonglei met the required criteria and represent all counties. He expressed satisfaction with the transparency of the process. “Our mission here today is to verify the scholar selection process, ensuring that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed,” said Akoc Akuei Manhiem on Friday, 21/03/2026. “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the National Level Joint Committee and the State Level Selection Committee for their tireless effort in strictly following the selection criteria.” Meanwhile, about 38 students from Western Equatoria State have also received the Adut Salva Scholarship to study at Cornerstone Vision Academy Secondary School in Aweil.