UNESCO Helps South Sudan Build Its First Education Sector Monitoring System
South Sudan is moving towards a more systematic way of tracking progress in its education sector, following a four-day consultation in Juba facilitated by UNESCO. The initiative aims to establish the country's first education sector monitoring system — a milestone for a nation that has developed education plans since 2005 but has never had a tool to measure performance against its goals.
The Consultation
Held from August 18–21 in Juba, the consultation brought together approximately 30 representatives from the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI), UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society. Participants mapped ongoing initiatives, assessed progress against the General Education Strategic Plan (GESP) 2023–2027, and identified gaps in coverage.
The GESP, approved in 2023 with UNESCO's support, sets out the government's priorities for South Sudan's education sector. While activities have been underway, no system existed to track progress against the targets set.
Why This Matters
South Sudan's education system faces enormous challenges — decades of conflict, displacement, and limited infrastructure have left the country with some of the lowest education indicators in the world. Without a monitoring system, it has been nearly impossible to measure whether interventions are working, where resources are most needed, and whether the country is on track to meet its own targets and the Sustainable Development Goals.
George Mogga Bengamin, Director General for Planning and Budgeting at MoGEI, called the initiative a milestone: "We have developed education plans since 2005, but none had a tool like this to monitor performance. Setting goals is not enough if we cannot measure the outcomes. Let this demonstrate our ability to monitor our sector and turn our plans into action."
What the System Will Do
The monitoring system is being designed to:
- Track progress against GESP targets across all education levels
- Identify gaps in coverage and quality of education services
- Strengthen coordination among government, UN agencies, and development partners
- Provide evidence for policy decisions and resource allocation
- Support accountability to both domestic stakeholders and international partners
The consultation focused on system design, leadership, coordination, capacity building, and ownership — all critical elements for a system that must function in one of the world's most challenging operating environments.
Next Steps
The consultation closed with agreed actions and a timeline for developing the monitoring system in the coming months. The initiative is part of UNESCO's broader support for education sector planning and monitoring in South Sudan, aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Source: UNESCO, August 29, 2026.
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