Schools Close, Exams Called Off as Sudan’s War Toll on Education
When violence in the Sudanese capital forced thousands to flee, education was disrupted as fighting between rival military factions continued.
The conflict, which began in mid-April, has driven Sudan’s faltering education system to the brink of collapse, with many schools closed or repurposed to house displaced people and the majority of national end-of-year exams canceled.
Sharif stated, “This war has signaled the end of education in Sudan, and the situation has deteriorated to the point of impossibility.”
The conflict has resulted in daily confrontations in the streets of Khartoum, a resurgence of racially motivated attacks in Darfur, and the displacement of more than 4 million people within Sudan and across its borders.
According to Simone Vis of UNICEF in Sudan, alarming numbers of reports suggest that armed groups are recruiting both boys and girls.
At least 89 schools in seven states are being used as shelters for the displaced, according to the United Nations, raising concerns that many children will be unable to attend school in the upcoming academic year and may be subject to child labor and maltreatment.
On Wednesday, the education minister in war-torn regions canceled the majority of end-of-year school exams.
Sahar Abdullah, a displaced teacher from Khartoum seeking refuge in Sennar, stated, “Anyone can see that a new academic year is impossible under the current circumstances.”
TEACHERS STRIKE
Before the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Save The Children ranked Sudan as one of the top four countries in the world where education was in imminent danger.
According to the charity, the number of children out of school has increased from 6.9 million to 9 million, more than one million school-aged children have been displaced, and at least 10,400 schools have been shut down since the conflict began.
Despite Khartoum’s illustrious intellectual heritage, the education system has deteriorated due to underinvestment, political interference, and a severe economic downturn. Street protests before and after the 2019 overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir, unusually severe flooding in 2020, and the coronavirus pandemic disrupted it.
Due to overcrowded classrooms, “some students would bring chairs with them to class.” “There weren’t enough textbooks to help teachers do their jobs,” said Abdullah, the displaced teacher.
Before the conflict broke out, state-employed teachers went on a three-month strike over pay and working conditions. Since March, as many as 300,000 teachers have not been paid, according to a senior member of the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee.
“I haven’t been paid a salary in four months, and I have no idea when I’ll return to work,” said Fatima Mohamed, a displaced teacher who fled Khartoum to Gedaraf state after the RSF captured her school.
“PATIENTLY HOPE”
Rabab Nasreldeen was in her third year of law studies at the University of Khartoum when war broke out, despite the interruptions she had endured in previous years.
Then she, too, was forced to escape, leaving behind educational certificates and documents that would have allowed her to continue her education elsewhere. “The only option we have is to wait and hope for the best,” she said.
Aid workers are attempting to alleviate the crisis by establishing secure learning spaces and providing children with psychosocial support.
Education Cannot Wait, a global fund of the United Nations devoted to education in emergencies, has raised $12.5 million and seeks to provide educational services for 120,000 children in Sudan and neighboring countries.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents in affluent countries “didn’t want their children to wait a year or a month for their education,” according to Yasmine Sherif, the fund’s executive director.
Why, then, should we expect them (in Sudan) to wait until the end of the conflict to receive an education?
Some of those who have fled Sudan are pursuing admission to schools and universities abroad, including in Egypt. In contrast, there are no such options in Chad, where over 377,000 refugees have arrived.
“I cannot return to Darfur to continue my education, and I have lost contact with my family,” Khalifa Adam, a displaced student who fled to Adre, Chad, from Darfur, told Reuters. It was explained to me that I could continue my online education, but the internet connection in Adre is very poor.
Schools Close, Exams Called Off as Sudan’s War Toll on Education
