Let 10,000 South Sudanese Learners Spell for Peace

The Yei Schools Mini Competition (YSMC) 2025 is our inaugural school activity in Yei Town Payam, Yei River County of Central Equatoria - a similar version to the one we hold in Juba. The project activity started as early as March 2025 with induction meetings and approval requests at the county and payam education offices, working in close collaboration with the Kikiji National Orphanage Centre (KNOC).

Twenty-one (21) schools, including six (6) secondary and fifteen (15) primary, registered for the competition following the call for expressions of interest announced via the local radio station, Spirit FM. The dissemination of the competition guidelines and other helpful documents, such as sample spelling bee words and quiz questions, followed this. An envisioning workshop was later conducted, bringing together headteachers and team coaches from all the registered schools to gather feedback and allow them to make final preparations for the activity.

 From 29 September 2025 to 17 October 2025, we held the competitive rounds from preliminaries to the Grand Finale, all these through inter-school exchange visits, during which there was an exchange of ideas and best practices amongst schools, teachers and volunteer adjudicators, except for the primary schools' Grand Finale held at a neutral venue - Kinji Secondary School.

The following schools participated:

Secondary Schools:

1. Nile High Secondary School
2. Saint Joseph Secondary School — Lutaya

Primary Schools:

1. Jigomoni Primary School
2. Christ the King Primary School
3. EPC Nehemiah Primary School
4. Royal School International — Jigomoni Campus
5. Royal School International — Spirit Campus
6. Kinji Primary School
7. New Generation Primary School
8. Immanuel Model Primary School
9. St. Paul Primary School
10. Kanjoro Primary School
11. Shalom Primary School
12. Yei Demonstration Primary School

"Congratulations to the schools that participated, as well as to Kikiji National Orphanage in collaboration with excellence Foundation. This competition has not only created unity and cooperation amongst schools and learners but also built the capability of identifying community issues and finding amicable solutions," Robert Liza Charles, a teacher from one of the participating schools, commented.

While the secondary school category of the competition reached 425 students and teachers, the primary schools category engaged an estimated 2,851 pupils, teachers, and other observers.

Links:

• School competition brings hope and unity to learners in Yei

The second edition of the Juba Secondary Schools Mini Competition kicked off on 1 July 2025, engaging over 200 students and 16+ teachers from eight rigorously selected secondary schools in Juba. Contest categories included Spelling Bee, Speed Challenge Quiz, Speech, Academic Debate, and, for the first time, Music and Dance and Drama. The competition aimed to boost academic performance, foster inter-school collaboration, and promote sportsmanship through structured academic and cultural contests.

Students demonstrated increased confidence, creativity, and knowledge, while teachers provided strong mentorship and coordination. An estimated 4,000+ spectators attended the ten successful fixtures, reflecting high community interest. Despite the event's early achievements, the grand finale was cancelled due to unresolved disputes during the semifinal stage. This outcome highlighted the urgent need for clearer dispute resolution mechanisms and improved judging consistency.

Key lessons learned include the importance of a code of conduct, well-trained judges, and strong communication across schools. Moving forward, the project will introduce structured academic exchange visits, reinforce training for officials, and enforce a code of conduct. Feedback from schools and students has been overwhelmingly positive, with a strong call for the competition’s continuation and expansion.

EFSS remains committed to building youth confidence, academic excellence, and school collaboration in South Sudan through safe, inclusive, and well-organised platforms. The team is already working on new interventions to strengthen future editions of the competition and create more opportunities for student engagement.

Links:

• Juba Secondary Schools Mini Competition kicks off
• Project Photos

• EFSS JSSMC2025 Project Report (PDF)