Media and Information Literacy Center Established in Juba.

The level of media and information literacy (MIL) in South Sudan remains critically low, exacerbated by widespread illiteracy. This pressing issue was highlighted by Mr. Juma Emmanuel, Executive Director of the Youth Media Initiative South Sudan, during an induction workshop for MIL clubs held at Juba Day Secondary School earlier this month.

Organized by the Youth Media Initiative South Sudan, setting up the MIL center and the clubs is part of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing media and information literacy among youth, empowering young people with skills of critical thinking and creative problem solving and to make them become informed consumers as well as information producers. MIL will facilitate South Sudanese young people to become smarter and productive participants of development discourses by using media effectively and interacting actively with and through media and information. Schools that will benefit from the center fully funded by UNESCO will include Juba Day, Juba Commercial, Juba Girls, Nile Model, Juba Technical, St. Joseph, and Supiri Secondary School.

Kenyi Gorge, the Head Teacher of Juba Day Senior Secondary School, expressed gratitude to UNESCO for extending the MIL program to secondary schools. He emphasized the importance of this initiative in helping students navigate the challenges of media use, particularly social media.

On his part, the Executive Director of Youth Media Initiative, Mr. Juma Emmanuel thanked UNESCO for their trust in the Youth Media Initiative to implement the MIL project and encouraged students to utilize the MIL Centre effectively.

A student representative, Zereda Florence, welcomed the initiative as a vital opportunity for students lacking access to computer literacy education.

The MIL Centre is a pioneering establishment in South Sudan designed to equip youth with essential skills in media and information literacy. It aims to foster a generation of responsible citizens capable of critically consuming, sharing, and analyzing information for societal benefit.