This paper is about the introduction of formal education in South Sudan (1900 – 1953). Formal education was introduced to the people of South Sudan in the early twentieth century by the Christian Missionary Societies (CMS) with the support of the Anglo-Egyptian Government.

The research design used for this case study had adopted a qualitative approach, which involves the generation of data in quantitative form. This study will be use published and unpublished sources. Therefore, the method used in the process of data analysis for this study is the historical approach.

At the coming of the Christian missionary societies to South Sudan in order to introduce formal education as well as Christianity, there developed conflict of interest between the local population and the incoming European Christian Missionary Societies. Because of the dispute, many ethnic groups in South Sudan resisted the new missionary education because they felt their education system was equally good. Many local chiefs refused to send their children to the mission schools; they felt their children would forget their traditional culture and adopt the European civilization.

Keywords: formal education, Christian missionary societies, South Sudan, colonial education, historical analysis.