Juba — A printing machine worth half a million US dollars has arrived at the Ministry of General Education and Instruction.

The German-made machine has been acquired with funds from the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MTDF), according to the ministry's deputy minister Madam Rebecca Joshua Okwaci.

"The arrival of this printing machine is very important because we need it at this very juncture. We have exams to be printed, books and a lot of print materials needed by the ministry", Madam Rebecca told reporters at the ministry headquarters.

South Sudan's education ministry has been printing exams and other education material in Khartoum or East Africa. Madam Rebecca who appreciated MTDF for the donation said the machine will add value to the work of the ministry and the country at large.

The machine is expected to begin operations by January because its installation has begun. The deputy minister said the ministry will train people to run the printing machine. This will be the second printing press owned by the government in South Sudan. The official Government Printing Press (GPP) managed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is already installed and expected to begin operations next year.