Data Story: 10.23% rise in the number of students registered for the certificate of secondary education examinations this year

35,459 candidates registered for the CSE exams in the academic year 2022/23, with 22,920 males and 12,539 females. Last year, 32,167 candidates registered, with 21,799 males and 10,368 females.

Writer: Emmanuel Bida Thomas

The Ministry of General Education and Instruction released the schedule for the 2022/23 Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) Examinations last week, which will take place from March 20 to March 31, 2023.

According to Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education and Instruction, 35,459 candidates have registered for the 2022/23 academic year exams. There are 12,539 females and 22,920 males among them.

However, compared to the previous year, when 32,167 candidates enrolled, including 21,799 males and 10,368 females, this year’s total number of candidates registered represents a 10.23% percent decrease.

Male candidates increased by 1,121 from 21,799 in the 2021/22 exams, and female candidates also increased by 2,171 from 10,368 the previous year.

Year	Males	Females	Total
2020/21	22,724	11,638	34,362
2021/22	21,799	10,368	32,167
2022/23	22,920	12,539	35,459

Awut Deng Acuil, Minister of General Education and Instruction, explained that the small number of candidates this academic year is due to security issues in certain regions of South Sudan, the adverse effects of COVID-19, which caused extended school closures, and the destructive floods.

S/No	State/Area	Number of Candidates	Number of Schools
	Abyei Administrative Area	258	5
	Jonglei State	1,398	20
	Lakes State	1,901	15
	Unity State	777	20
	Pibor Administrative Area	42	1
	Eastern Equatoria State	2,516	29
	Ruweng Administrative Area	1,523	19
	Western Equatoria State	1,294	29
	Central Equatoria State	13,942	135
	Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State	2,028	28
	Western Bahr-el-Ghazal State	3,075	26
	Warrap State	1,826	28
	Upper Nile State	1,873	28
	IDP Juba	3,004	15

Conclusion:

This data analysis indicates that secondary education in South Sudan is on the rise, despite a slight overall decrease in the number of registered candidates. The increase in male and female candidates, while remaining lower than the male candidate count, is a positive sign that more females are pursuing secondary education and have access to the necessary resources. This could indicate a shift in attitudes towards female education in South Sudan and an overall increase in investment in education. However, further research is needed to better understand the situation in South Sudan, particularly in terms of educational opportunities and resources available to students.