The war in Sudan has deprived millions of children of education for nearly 500 days, the NGO Save the Children said on Thursday.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed by a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), triggering the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis.
Long School Closure
As the war approaches its three-year mark, a report by Save the Children underscored the devastating impact of the conflict on Sudanese children, noting that millions have now reached a grim milestone of 500 days out of the classroom, in one of the world’s longest school closures.
“Across Sudan more than 8 million children – nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-aged children – have spent about 484 days without entering a classroom,” the report said, adding that this figure surpasses the worst shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unlike during the pandemic, remote learning is not an option for most children in Sudan where more than 1,000 days of fighting have disrupted education across the country, shattered families, and destroyed communities,” the NGO noted.
Education Crisis
The report stated that Sudan is enduring one of the world’s worst education crises. “Many schools closed while others have been damaged in the conflict or are being used as shelters for displaced families, leaving children without safe places to learn and millions of children increasingly unlikely to ever complete their studies,” it said.
In light of this, it noted that the North Darfur state has emerged as the epicenter of Sudan’s education crisis, where ongoing conflict has shuttered all but 3% of its 1,100 schools.
Meanwhile, West Kordofan and South Darfur states report less than 15% of schools are open, while West Darfur sits at just 27%, according to new data from Sudan’s education cluster, set for release this week.
The report added that many teachers are quitting for not receiving salaries for months, putting the education system at risk of total breakdown.
A Lifeline for Children
The report pointed to the importance of education in conflict-ridden countries. “It protects children from violence, sexual and gender-based abuse, exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups,” the report said.
“Education is not a luxury for children; it is a lifeline that protects children from exploitation, early marriage, and recruitment into armed groups. It provides safety, stability, and hope for the future,” Save the Children International CEO, Inger Ashing, said.
She underscored the urgent need for funding to save the education system from collapse. “We urgently need more funds to restore and expand safe and quality educational services, rehabilitate damaged schools, and provide teachers with fair working conditions,” she said.
“If we fail to invest in education today, we risk condemning an entire generation to a future defined by conflict rather than by opportunity,” Ashing warned.
Sudan Humanitarian Crisis
Following a recent visit to Sudan, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounced attacks on critical civilian infrastructure, saying they are “serious violations that can amount to war crimes.”
In light of this, he urged the two warring sides to “cease intolerable attacks against civilian objects that are indispensable to the civilian population, including markets, health facilities, schools and shelters.”
Furthermore, Türk cited heartbreaking accounts on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Sudan, where people suffer “unspeakable brutality.”
He also voiced deep alarm over the militarization of the Sudanese society and the recruitment of children, as vast amounts of money are spent on advanced weaponry at the expense of humanitarian aid.
