An initiative to help girls’ education in South Sudan has been launched to help girl-child education in South Sudan.

The initiative is a five years, first Cash Transfers to girls in Schools 2013 -2018 launched by the ministry of Education, Science and Technology in collaboration with UK-AID.

A Cash Transfer is an initiative that will help all girls enrolled from Primary 5 to Senior 4, to receive a once-yearly cash payment of 125 South Sudan Pounds.

The Undersecretary in the Ministry of Education, Michael Lopuke latyam, said in press conference today in Juba that the cash transfer is part of girls’ education program.

“This transfer are part of the girls’ education in South Sudan program and is initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology with funding from UK –AID all girls enrolled in primary five through to senior four and regularly attending schools will be eligible for annual cash transfer of one hundred and twenty five South Sudanese Pound”, he said.

Mr Lopuke said the program is being jointly funded by UK-Aid and the government.

He said, “The budget for the five and half years program Uk –aid has put in sixty million sterling Pounds over the next five to six years up to the end of this program and the government of South Sudan is putting sixty million South Sudanese Pounds every year. We are excepting this sixty million to rises form sixty to eighty million every year because of the need.”

Mr. Lopuke said girls and their families are encouraged to spend money on the education-enabling items such as stationery, uniforms and shoes.

The cash transfer will be for all girls in South Sudan in government control areas and opposition control areas.

The Girls Education is a five and half years program that aims to transfer girls’ education in South Sudan, through increasing access to quality education.