JUBA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have partnered with the government of South Sudan to provide extended education services to nomadic pastoralist communities.
The initiative dubbed Pastoralist Livelihoods and Education Field Schools (PLEFS) and the Pastoralist Education Program Strategy Framework was launched on Thursday.
FAO said in a statement issued in Juba that the program will offer active and constructivist approach tailored to meet the needs of adults, youth and children in pastoralists' communities.
Serge Tissot, FAO Representative in South Sudan, said the PLEFS, first of its kind in the east African country will provide pastoralists with sustainable and high-quality learning opportunities as they move.
"The partnership between the three line ministries, FAO and UNESCO is unique and has realized a way for marginalized communities to access vital services in challenging conditions," Tissot said.
"FAO is committed to strengthening livelihoods, and integrating basic literacy and numeracy skills into the field school approach really improves pastoralists' way of life," he added.
The program is currently being implemented by FAO and UNESCO in the central regions and it will be brought to other pastoral communities across the country in the near future.
South Sudan has some of the worst educational indicators in the world, particularly for girls, according to UN statistics.
A study conducted by the ministry of education in 2016 found that out 128,000 girls who enrolled primary education, only 2,700 completed secondary school.
"It is our long-term vision to see to it that pastoralist communities receive adequate services and infrastructure to improve their livelihoods," said James Janka Duku, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries.
