American Envoy Scott Gration Visits Lakes State in Sudan

The American Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration early this week paid a visit to Lakes State for the first time since his appointment by the American government last year.

Gration made the visit as part of his familiarisation tour to Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.

He was received amid tight security at Rumbek airstrip by the state government led by the State Governor Engineer Chol Tol Mayay, all the eight county Commissioners and the Lakes State Assembly Speaker John Marik Makur among other leaders.

General Gration together with a high profile delegation visited Rumbek Senior Secondary School on Sunday.

He was accompanied by Governor Mayay who said the historical school that was founded by the British government in 1947 is in dire need of a facelift as most of its facilities had deteriorated.

He said key South Sudanese figures including the late Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) hero Dr John Garang passed through the school yet it is reeling under deplorable conditions.

“Since its establishment, the only change the school has had are the iron sheets that were provided by the United States Aid for International Development (USAID). The school currently lacks teachers, learning facilities such as books, a library, drinking water as well as electricity”, he said.

He said that the school was used by the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudan Army Forces during the 21years of civil war as a military barracks until Rumbek town was re-captured by the SPLA in 1997.

“It was a goodwill visit by USAID in 2001 that saw the school receive new iron sheets for its roofing”, he said.

Gration encouraged the students to work hard in their studies so as to uphold the school’s reputation of producing powerful leaders in the Sudan.

He advised them to embrace information technology as it is the modern trend in pursuit of development.

Rumbek Senior Secondary School has been hit by student unrest in the recent past over lack of facilities and teachers.

In June this year, the students went on the rampage over lack of classrooms and teachers.