Beginning on Monday, South Sudan will close all of its schools in anticipation of a severe heat wave that is predicted to linger for two weeks.
The health and education ministries urged parents to keep all of their kids inside because of the predicted 45 degree Celsius (113 degree Fahrenheit) heat wave.
A statement released late on Saturday stated that any school found to be open during the warning period would have its registration revoked, but it did not say for how long.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and inform the public accordingly,” the ministries declared.
Peter Garang, a resident of Juba, the capital, applauded the decision. According to him, “schools should be connected to the electricity grid” so that air conditioners can be installed.
Humanitarian emergency
Being of the youngest countries in the world, South Sudan is especially susceptible to the climate problem; heat waves are frequent but never reach temperatures beyond 40 C (104 F).
The nation of East Africa has been beset by civil conflict, and its citizens have had to endure flooding and drought in addition to tough living conditions.
South Sudan “continues to face a dire humanitarian crisis” as a result of war, economic instability, climatic change, and an influx of people fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan, according to the World Food Program’s most recent country brief.
It also mentioned that in January, 818,000 individuals who were considered vulnerable received cash transfers and food.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
