The political, economic and social situation in Sudan remains fragile, exasperated by localized violence in certain parts of the country, associated with climatic hazards and epidemics. Over the past year, with 19 million school-aged children lacking access to formal education, and over 90% of the nearly 23,000 schools are closed or inaccessible.
Over the last two decades, there has been a significant and sustained increase in school enrolment at both primary and secondary levels across sub-Saharan Africa, including in Sudan and South Sudan. However, there are still serious challenges, including persistent challenges such as discrimination, high drop-out rates, and socio-political disruptions, contributing to a complex learning environment. There can be no dispute that millions of girls and boys are now in school, but attendance at school does not necessarily mean that pupils are learning.
Sudan’s political, economic and social situation remains fragile, exasperated by localized violence in parts of the country, coupled with climatic hazards and disease outbreaks. Studies show that education in Sudan suffers from both low access due to child labor and marriage and poor learning outcomes. A lack of school meals, poor diet and nutrition affect education-learning outcomes. The poor physical environment combined with lack of teaching material contribute to the school dropout rate and weak outcomes.
Schoolchildren in Sudan have had to witness and experience unspeakable things as a result of violence, conflict, and insurgency made all the more devastating by the fact that their places of education should be places of safety and security. A child’s right to education cannot be safeguarded in conflict zones without education itself being protected. With an estimated 19 million children out of school because of war, Sudan is facing one of the worst education crises in the world, making children out of school easy targets of abuse, exploitation, and recruitment by competing armed forces and groups.
As different reports have shown, the number of violent attacks on schools and education in Sudan has increased fourfold since the start of the conflict in April last year with 88 reports of violent incidents and most schools closed. The conflict-related incidents include airstrikes on schools resulting in the killing and injury of students and teachers, torturing of teachers, killing and abduction of teachers and sexual violence against students inside education facilities.
The necessary educational infrastructure has become susceptible to exploitation by combatant groups who have occupied education facilities. Schools and educational facilities have been destroyed, looted, or occupied during the current conflict, leaving children with nowhere to turn to for education. Despite international agreements mandating the protection of schools, there are widespread attacks on schools in Sudan by parties to the conflict.
The current attacks on children in Sudan continue unabated, as warring parties flout one of the most basic rules of war, which is the protection of children. The protracted nature of the conflict today is affecting the futures of entire generations of children. Without access to education, a generation of children living in this conflict will grow up without the skills they need to contribute to their country and economies, exacerbating the already desperate situation for millions of children and their families.
According to a report by UNICEF, almost 30% of young individuals, totaling 59 million, aged between 15 and 24 in conflict- or disaster-affected countries, are illiterate. Niger, Chad, South Sudan, and Central African Republic are home to the highest illiteracy rates among young people with 76%, 69%, 68%, and 64% of 15- to 24-year-olds, respectively, unable to read or write.
Reports from the ongoing conflict in Sudan indicate that there are about 10,000 children recruited to fight along with the armed groups. With no educational opportunities, children are exploited and fight for reasons they do not understand, wasting their lives away. Prior to the conflict, 7 million children were already out of school. Over the past year, this learning crisis has deepened, with 19 million school-aged children lacking access to formal education, and over 90% of the nearly 23,000 schools are closed or inaccessible.
Girls are among the most seriously affected groups. Despite education being vital in protecting girls from things like child marriage, forced marriage, and domestic violence, girls are often direct targets for violence in the current conflict in Sudan. It’s reported by the World Bank that in conflicts such as this in Sudan, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys and are less likely to return following peace.
Yet education is a lifeline for children in emergency settings, not only helping to ensure children and young people continue to gain essential knowledge and skills, but also providing them with life-saving protective messages, shelter, nutritious food, water, health care, and hygiene supplies through safe learning spaces.
References
https://www.windle.org.uk/views/beyond-enrolment?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYRbpGg6k4tm8lRPHRFKcuTYbGse5O5B64LD1TAtnGxXyDUU4G0SwpRoC2XYQAvD_BwE
https://www.savethechildren.net/news/sudan-violent-attacks-schools-and-education-surge-fourfold-one-year-conflict
https://www.windle.org.uk/views/one-year-without-education-in-sudan
https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/policies/programming/projects/inclusive-quality-education-most-vulnerable-children-sudan_en
https://www.learningpassport.org/stories/sudans-19-million-learners-are-facing-worlds-worst-education-crisis#:~:text=Prior%20to%20the%20conflict%2C%207,schools%20are%20closed%20or%20inaccessible.