Identifying and Selecting Sustainable Income Strategies to Overcome Financial Challenges of Higher Education in South Sudan

Abstract

This study was conducted to find out the sustainable income strategy to overcome financial
challenges that are being faced by the higher education system in South Sudan as it strives to
fulfill its mandate of training capable cadres who will be future leaders that will develop the
nation, continent and the whole world. South Sudan gained its independence on July 9th 2011 after
a long civil war with Northern Sudan that began in 1955 and ended with the signing of the
comprehensive peace agreement (CPA 2005) in Naivasha, Kenya. As a new country that was
borne from a long civil war, South Sudan has been facing a lot of challenges including
underfunding of higher education (HE), despite the Higher Education Act, 2012 enacted to
legalize 5% of national annual budget of the country to be channeled to HE as annual funding for
HE in order to modernize, standardize and promote it to world standards. Unfortunately, it was
not possible due to financial challenges facing the whole country and not just the higher education
sector. The objective of this study is to identify and select sustainable income strategies that if
employed by higher education institutions as well as government could thrust them forward in
order to overcome financial problems. Data were collected from eight universities and university
colleges - out of eleven universities and colleges in South Sudan, with both open ended and
structured questions to enable them give their ideas and also provide specific answers
respectively. Data was then analyzed using graphics, ratios analysis and charts. The study was
mainly qualitative as it sought to get innovative ideas of various professors and lecturers of
Economics and Business Administration. The study has suggested multiple income strategies that
if employed can reduce financial constraints facing higher education in the country including
promotion and diversification of investments by Higher Education Institutions (HEI), levy of 1%
higher education tax rate (HET), allocation of oil for higher education (OHE), etc. by the
government of South Sudan.
Keywords: South Sudan, financial challenges, sustainable income strategy, higher education,
funding models