A student gives birth during examinations in Eastern Equatoria

By Viola Elias

JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN: A 22-year-old candidate sitting for the 2021 South Sudan Certificate of Secondary Education examinations in Kapoeta, Eastern Equatoria state was rushed to hospital after she experienced labour pain prior to her exam kick-off time.

The young woman gave birth a few minutes before walking into the examination hall on Monday morning.

Jessica Natyam said she experienced intense labour pains when she woke up to prepare for her first examination day.

She said she was surprised to security personnel and some school teachers arrive at the hospital with her English examination paper so she immediately wrote her first exams while in the hospital.

“I was not in the examination room that day when the labor pain started but it was early in the morning before examination that I felt some pain and realized that it could be labor pain.”

“when I rushed to the hospital, I delivered safely but before that delivery I got discouraged thinking that I would miss my examination but luckily enough when I came out of the delivery room, I met the invigilators coming with the examination papers, so I did my examination in the hospital few minutes after I had delivered.” Natiyam tells The Insider.

She adds that she was determined to continue with her studies after she became pregnant. She said she did not encounter many challenges after she safely delivered but had to write another exam from home because her school is far away.

“I was being supervised by one invigilator, the national minister from Juba, the head teacher and some of the security personnel brought me the examination papers but after they opened the exams paper, they all went back, leaving one security [guard] behind.” Natiyam explained.

An education official in Kapoeta Central County says South Sudan’s education policy provides special consideration to girls and women who become pregnant while in school allowing them an extra 30 minutes to complete their examinations. 

Ayuma Sarafin, the acting director of education in Kapoeta County, said the national general education ministry issued a circular to all schools stating that girls who become pregnant be allowed to sit for the South Sudan Certificate of Secondary Education examination.

Sarafin added education officials informed him when Natiyam was taken to Kapoeta civil hospital to deliver her baby.

He said the state ministry of education and the secondary school in Kapoeta agreed that Natiyam be allowed to write her exam from the hospital minutes after safely delivering her baby.

“It is not only during this period of corona virus but there has been a letter from the ministry of general education indicating that all our girl who had such situation not only here in Kapoeta but across the Nation should be given the chance to sit the examination.” Sarafin said.

He urges young women, men, boys and girls to seek advice on sexual education. He encourages girls to stay focused while they are in school.

“These are biological challenges that if one does not have control over it, then one may drop out of school.”

“But my encouragement to girls is that please aim higher because education in South Sudan depends on when we educate young girls, we educate a whole nation.” Sarafin appeals to young school girls to take care of themselves to ensure that they succeed in becoming great women in the future.