About one third of school-aged Sudanese children are out of education, according to Save the Children and the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef), who are calling for the government to prioritise the country’s education system.
There are about 19 million school-age children in Sudan and 6.9 million are out of school, for reasons including the worsening economic situation, conflict and the impact of prolonged school closures because of Covid-19. Another 12 million continually have their schooling interrupted by issues such as a lack of teachers and infrastructure, according to the humanitarian organisations.
School opening has also been delayed by flooding, which has affected schools attended by about 140,000 children, according to Save the Children. The UN says more than 100 people have been killed by the floods.
“One thing we have noticed is that many of the children who have stopped their education will very likely not return and this is a very devastating result,” said Ahmed Kodouda, director of advocacy and campaigns for Save the Children in Sudan.
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“This put[s] Sudan as having some of the highest numbers of out-of-school children in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
He added: “We are calling on the government of Sudan to increase its investment in education, by prioritising the education sector in public spending [and] by dedicating more resources to ensure that schools can open and education of children is fully funded. We’re also calling on the international community to increase the amount of resources available to ensure that Sudanese children can continue to receive their education as soon as possible.”
Mr Kodouda said children who are out of school can be exposed to “significant rights violations,” including early forced marriages for young girls, and child labour.
“One mechanism that we have seen to be very effective in ensuring children continue their education is through the provision of school meals, which are a significant pull factor for many children and families,” Mr Kodouda said. “Ultimately, the best way to address this crisis is by ensuring that there are appropriate social protection mechanisms to ensure that families can provide the bare minimum for their children in order to secure their right to education.”
Unicef says the world has just gone through “the worst shock to education and learning in recorded history,” with the current generation of students now risking losing 21 trillion euros in potential lifetime earnings because of it — the equivalent of about 17 per cent of today’s global GDP.
Sudan, in North Africa, has a population of roughly 45 million people. It has suffered economic and political crises in recent years. Long-ruling former dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019, but attempts to transition to civilian rule were stymied by an October 2021 military coup, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Regular protest rallies have been taking place in capital city Khartoum, with thousands taking to the streets this week alone demanding that civilian rule be implemented.
Almost 12 million Sudanese people are estimated to be facing acute hunger.
