Washington, D.C., August 10, 2018 - South Sudan will receive US$6 million through GPE’s accelerated funding mechanism to support the education of children affected by conflict, economic insecurity, and political instability.

The funding will support children’s education in areas not supported by humanitarian interventions. This includes large numbers of out-of-school children and those whose education has been disrupted by the crisis. “GPE’s accelerated funding is a key mechanism to support countries during crisis, allowing for rapid disbursement to ensure that children’s schooling can continue” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer, Global Partnership for Education.

Nearly 2.5 million South Sudanese have fled the country, making it the fastest growing and largest refugee situation in Africa. Inside the country, 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. This situation has given rise to the destruction of schools and the departure of teachers from many affected areas severely impact access to education, with 2 million children out of school. The education crisis risks fueling new conflicts as thousands of children are already recruited into armed groups.

The funding will be used for a school census to document where displaced children are located, so resources can be deployed accordingly and data on students and schools is made available for planning. A strong focus will also be on the youngest learners by training teachers in early childhood education and mother tongue teaching and making 1 million textbooks available.