Education in Sudan

Following the coup in October 2021, the local education group invoked the GPE operational framework for effective support in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, leading to exclusion of government and de-facto authorities from the group.

Persistent challenges in improving learning outcomes, expanding access for out-of-school children, providing conducive learning environments and strengthening the education sector structures have been exacerbated by the ongoing armed conflict since April 2023, disrupting the education of 12.6 million primary and secondary school-age children, with the majority of teachers unpaid and some schools being used as emergency shelters for displaced people.

In August 2023, GPE approved accelerated funding of $20 million to help more than 285,000 children continue to learn even during the crisis. Two grants of $10 million each are implemented by UNICEF and Save the Children, along with Sudanese nongovernmental organizations.

The funds are helping deliver urgent and vital education support to children in selected localities in 5 states significantly affected by displacement of people: White Nile, Kassala, River Nile, Sennar and South Kordofan.

Partners are creating safe learning spaces, providing psychosocial services to children, improving water and sanitation for boys and girls, distributing teaching and learning materials, including books and games to improve the children’s literacy and numeracy, training teachers and volunteers and engaging communities to support the schools.

An existing grant of $41.9 million, led by the World Bank, is being reprogrammed to support resilience and learning continuity. The grant will provide funds to schools in states that are reopening them, with priorities selected with the involvement of parent-teacher associations and community members. These schools will also benefit from teacher training and materials to support remedial learning for children.

The grant will also provide alternative learning opportunities, including digital and offline radio and TV, for children affected by the conflict who are not able to attend school.

Education stakeholders in the Sudan local education group are working on a Transitional Education Plan for 2024-2026, to support coherence and prioritization of education support, strengthen coordination and enhance monitoring of key results.

• Sudan is part of the KIX Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia, and Pacific hub and has a KIX national delegation.

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