After months of anxious waiting, the South Sudan National Examinations Council has officially released the 2024 Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) examination results—ending nearly a year-long delay that had gripped students and parents across the country.
At the top of the student rankings is Philip Manioc Ayuen of Greenbet Academy School in Jonglei State, who scored a remarkable 91.6%, making him the highest-performing student nationwide.
Following closely is Murye Anthony Duku, a female student from Haven Secondary School, located in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, who secured second place with 91.4%.
The outstanding performance of Murye Anthony Duku has been widely praised as a symbol of resilience and hope for displaced students in South Sudan.
In school rankings, Amazing Grace High School in Jonglei State emerged as the best-performing school nationwide, while Darling Wisdom Academy in Central Equatoria State claimed second place among all participating schools.
The Council announced that 48,079 students sat for the exams conducted between December 2–11, 2024, out of 50,004 registered candidates from 535 academic schools. The results showed a national pass rate of 76.3%, with 36,701 candidates passing
The delay in releasing the results was attributed to payment disputes with exam markers and challenges in the verification process. Speaking at a press briefing in Juba on Wednesday, the Council extended its sincere apology to students and their families.
“I would like to profoundly apologize for the unprecedented delay in the release of the 2024 Secondary School Examination results. We are now putting a system in place to prevent such delays in the future,” the Council stated.
Additional candidates included 130 students in the Commercial Section at Juba Commercial Secondary School (63 male, 67 female), and 197 students in the Technical Section at Juba Technical Secondary School (174 male, 23 female).
The release of the results marks a significant turning point for thousands of students now preparing to advance to tertiary education or vocational training. It also highlights growing concerns around educational infrastructure, funding, and support for displaced learners.
As celebrations begin in top-performing schools and among high-achieving students like Philip Ayuen and Murye Duku, education officials are calling for greater investment and reform to streamline examination processes and ensure equity in education especially for vulnerable communities.
