Education is a continuous and creative process. Its aim is to develop the capacities latent in human nature and to coordinate their expression for the enrichment and progress of society, by equipping children with spiritual, moral and material knowledge.
Look at the Sudanese communities here in Australia to illustrate the fundamental importance of education. We can all unanimously agree that we migrated into Australia seeking refuge and green pasture. Most Sudanese had lived in refugee camps for over fifteen years since when the civil war broke out in the Sudan. Today, 99% of all Sudanese adults have little or no formal education at all. This high level of illiteracy is a major contributor to lack of vision and progress among most if not all the Sudanese organisations here in Australia. Our ideologies and policies are still purely dominated by self-proclamation and sectionalism. Most Sudanese in their respective organisations still defined their views in terms of kinship attachment and leadership inheritance. The ‘we-were-born-to-rule’ mentality and attitude is still unfortunately very much dominance among the Sudanese people.
Seven years ago when KSAA was re-established in Australia, it was purely for the advancement and progress of education among the Kongor community children and youths. It started very well as its then members and the entire community were exciting and supportive. This was partly due to what the former KSA had achieved in Kakuma refugee Camp. The building of Kakuma library which contributed to a significant number of kongor children gaining sponsorships was one of the major motivations. However, KSA Australia has obviously lost its track and the essence of its foundation. The reasons that it was formed to encourage, motivate, support and couch the community children as they pursue their learning are diluted and politicised. KSAA today has become a political tool where sectional political interest is being played by a minority. The initial support for KSAA has evaporated. There is an insinuated campaign to turn it into the so-called all inclusive body. Amazingly no one has ever argued it was not all inclusive.
On the other hand, there is a massive lack of unity and cooperation among the community elders who are widely perceived as the guardians of the community. This Lack of unity among elders has greatly affected the leadership organisation of the community. In my opinion, the phrase ‘who is who’ is playing a major role in this void now existing. There have been many arguments why it is so important for the elders to organise the community if it is to achieve anything essential. However, there is lack of clear outline of vision particularly by those who have attempted to take up this challenge. Clear vision gives people a sense of understanding of the direction to be followed. It was announced that there was going to be a Kongor community meeting in Melbourne June 2010. There would be a defined and well laid out scripts of this meeting. Many of us are still waiting for the outcomes of that meeting. I am afraid it might have been convened on the premise of who is who ideology, but not for the purpose of progress and development. We are still living in a community which does not see a role everyone would play including women and children. Girls are still very much valued in terms of the bride price payments they can bring into a family. The few educated girls are particularly highly valued when it comes to bride price payments. Let me leave this topic there for now as it is a different one all together.
What future is surely a head of us as the emerging communities in the civilised world? It is a future in which lack of education is surely a token for abject poverty. The more people are educated and informed about choices that they can make in life, the betterment is their standard of living and economic status. We still very much invest our thoughts, energy and time in things of the paste. We still glorify and value cultural practices that will not economically and socially help us eradicate the abject poverty we as Sudanese are all in today. Our school children in this country most of us see as a haven are dropping out schools at an alarming rate. This is a fact! Why does this happen and what can be done to prevent or minimise it?
The following quote is inpirational: Education makes the child a collaborator both in his own growth and in the development of his community. A well-educated community member is a determined yet humble participant, who helps over conflict and division thereby contributing to a spirit of unity and collaboration.
It is solemnly said in the Holy Book, the Bible, that ‘a blind man cannot lead another blind man’. This proverb is indeed applicable in any situation. We cannot continue to claim that we can build imaginary schools and hospitals back home in our country of birth unless and until we critically look into our current economic and social status in this country. We are a working poor. Approximately 99% of all Sudanese are under the poverty line. What good can these people achieved? How can we address the problem of poverty among us in this country? What steps can we all take to try to reduce or eradicate poverty? There is indeed little or no debate in regards to these social issues. We are very much consumed by leadership issues. There have been hated debates about who can become the leader, rather than what we can do to do better in relation to substantial achievements, such as building schools or hospital etc.
We need to address the community problems at the state level. Each state here in Australia needs to clearly define the relationship between the KSAA and the community. We need to invest in KSAA purely as an organisation to address educational problems and issues at the state level. As I am sure most of us are aware, the community leadership is there to guard and address community issues, whereas KSAA is to address educational aspirations of the community. Until we can find a way to address and solve educational aspirations and poverty reduction among our people in this country, we will not be able to address any issue affecting our people back home. If most of us are concerned about work coordination among all the states, then that should come later as the states find ways to work in cooperation and collaboration. I indeed applause the work initiated a few years ago by the KSAA team in South Australia. Organising learning workshops, drama and sport are a few examples. Educational needs and aspirations for our community children are paramount if we are to have a better future. Mr Tony, the former SA- KSAA leader has been writing and bringing some of these social issues to light in his recent articles on this website. Thank you Tony and many others for your inquiring minds.
However, I would want to end this article by quoting the following phrases: A civilised society is a society where all are equal. In civilised society individuals rights are balanced by individual responsibilities, responsibilities to oneself, to ones neighbours, to society as a whole. A civilised society respect individual endeavour and enterprise, but does not play the successful off against those weaker and less fortunate. A civilised society will always try to offer people hope for the future and the future generations.
Mabior Deng