Higher Education Returns to Southern Sudan

    South Sudan continues to move on after its successful independence referendum, announcing that its universities will reopen in mid-May this year.  The south’s universities need a lot of work before opening.
    Like most things in southern Sudan, its university system was crippled by the decades-long civil war with the north. There are a total of five universities in the south, the largest in the capital, Juba.
    Three universities had shifted their operations to the north during the war and the southern government has brought most of the students back, but what they’ll find here is not yet clear.  Classes were originally scheduled to start at the beginning of April, but the southern Ministry¹ for Higher Education has moved the opening date to mid-May.
    Officials estimate(评估) about 25,000 students registered at the five southern universities, though the ministry is not sure about the exact number.  Some of the students were in the north when they registered and it's not certain that they will travel south to attend school.  The government pays for food and in theory provides lodging², but the south lacks facilities for such a large number of students.
    Joseph Ukel, Minister for Higher Education in Southern Sudan,  said this was the first reason for the delay. "There is a problem of accommodation, accommodation for lecture halls, for hostels³ and for the staff," he said.
    But it doesn’t end there. Until the south’s independence in July, Sudan's national government will pay to keep the schools running.  But after July, that arrangement(安排,整理) will end and, according to Ukel, the southern government’s proposed budget for 2011 doesn’t include any money for the universities.
    Then also there’s the problem of teachers.  Almost 75 percent of the lecturers at southern universities are from the north and they are not likely to travel to the south to continue teaching for their schools.
    Ukel said his ministry has approached southern Sudanese teachers outside the country about returning. "Their problem was, what do you give us by way of carry away salaries? That became our problem," he said.
    After its people voted in a referendum last month to secede⁴ from the north, south Sudan’s government has shifted its focus to creating a viable⁵ state. With an illiteracy⁶ rate estimated at above 80 percent and a government that’s being built from scratch, official see an immediate⁷ need to improve and expand the education system.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

3 hostels   

n.旅舍，招待所( hostel的名词复数 )；青年宿舍

参考例句：

• The students were protesting at overcrowding in the university hostels. 学生们在抗议大学宿舍过于拥挤。 来自辞典例句
• Are there any cheap hostels in Nanjing for one person? 南京有没有便宜的旅店可以一个人住？ 来自互联网

4 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。

5 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

6 illiteracy   

n.文盲

参考例句：

• It is encouraging to read that illiteracy is declining.从读报中了解文盲情况正在好转，这是令人鼓舞的。
• We must do away with illiteracy.我们必须扫除文盲。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。