Gender equality and civicness in Higher Education in South Sudan: Debates from University of Juba circles

This report is part of the collection of publications on “Education, Conflict and Civicness in South Sudan”, which is the outcome of a collaboration between the South Sudan Studies Association (SSSA) and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

If universities are to contribute to political transformation and civicness in conflict settings, they must foster gender equality. This is an exceptional challenge in the context of South Sudan, where female literacy was last estimated at under 30 percent and where universities have been affected by conflict and resource shortages. Societal dynamics arising out of a patriarchal society mean that the ratio of boys and girls enrolled in schools remains unequal. This persists at the university level, resulting in fewer females joining universities as students and academics. But even those who are admitted face complex challenges. This paper explores whether and how the University of Juba is promoting equality and inclusion in practice and assesses the implications. It examines the existence of formal and informal policies, attitudes towards teaching certain courses, attitudes of students towards female students and lecturers, and attitudes of non-teaching staff at the College of Law and at the Institute for Peace, Development and Security Studies. The research offers recommendations on how the prevailing situation could be mitigated and how the university can counter gender inequality to build on what has been achieved so far.