This analysis summarizes findings from conflict analyses undertaken as part of the UNICEF Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy (PBEA) Programme, funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The purpose of the report is to create actionable recommendations for the education sector in South Sudan to inform and shape peace consolidation and nation building.

The analysis points out some of the key challenges of the South Sudan’s education system that pertain to massive gaps in service delivery, insufficient infrastructure, inadequate training for teachers, a large out-of-school population, gender inequities, low literacy rates and struggles to translate education into meaningful employment. Little attention has been paid to education’s transformative potential to strengthen national identify and build peace, harmony and social cohesion within the country.

Although many South Sudanese have endured successive conflict over many years, the analysis reveals that education offers hope for a new generation. The provision of education and other social services can serve as a peace dividend for the new Government, reduce poverty through vocational development and diversified economic opportunity, and contribute to building peace. Efforts are needed to increase public understanding of education as a pathway for peace and development, reaching out to pastoralist groups and isolated or marginalized minorities and enable them to participate in the political system. Equitable access to education will be crucial for diffusing competition between groups.