Background
He was born in Palo, Doleib Hill, Upper Nile State, South Sudan.
He was born in Palo, Doleib Hill, Upper Nile State, South Sudan.
He attended primary school at the American Mission at Doleib Hill and was baptized in 1948. From 1949 to 1952, he attended Atar Intermediate School and from 1953 to 1958 attended Rumbek Government Secondary School in Southern Sudan. He subsequently attended the University of Khartoum in Sudan from 1958 to 1962, studying English, special Arabic, Economics, History and Philosophy and graduating with Bachelor of Arts in special Arabic and Philosophy.
Note: all Southern schools were closed down in 1955 due to the first civil war in Torit (South Sudan) in August 1955 which meant loss of one year for all students). In 1986, he was awarded Master of Arts in TAFL (teaching Arabic as a foreign language) from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. As an educator, and according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Monograph 1951 and 1953, I advocate the bilingual system of education as the best option in any multilingual and multicultural societies for their unity, harmony and stability.
Administrative and academic positions
Tutor in Arabic Department, Faculty of Arts, University of Khartoum (1962-1964)
Assistant Warden of Students, University of Khartoum (1964-1966) and (1969-1980)
Academic Registrar, University of Khartoum (1974)
Dean of Students, University of Juba (1982-1983)
Center Coordinator, School of Extra-Mural Studies, University of Khartoum (1986 until death)
Political positions
Minister of Works, Sudan Central Government (1966-1967)
Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of National Parliament in Khartoum (1974-1977)
Minister of Education, Southern Council (1988-1989)
Chairman of National committee for the education of Southern Pupils and Students (1989-1990)
Positions in Southern Sudan
Director of Education (1970-1972)
Director of Information (1972-1974)
Commissioner for Census (1981-1982)
Other assignments
Chairman of the Shilluk Oversight Committee (1989 until death)
Arop Yor Ayik died in the Netherlands in 1999.
He was buried in the Sudan in June 1999.
Member of the Arabic Academy of the Sudan (1993 until death).