Mohamed is from Sudan’s capital city Khartoum. But in April 2023, conflict erupted, forcing him and his family to join the millions who fled their homes, leaving everything behind.

Today, Sudan has the world’s largest child displacement crisis in the world, with over 4.6 million children displaced in the country and across borders. Mohamed now lives in Kassala State in eastern Sudan.

Children have endured over a year of uncertainty, trauma and violence, and most are out of school.

Schools across the country have been destroyed or turned into shelters for displaced people, jeopardizing children’s right to education.

Despite the dire circumstances, local authorities and partner agencies in Sudan have strived to keep schools open to provide children with a sense of normalcy, a chance to learn, and a connection to their communities.

Creating safe learning spaces

Sudan’s school year normally kicks off in September and October. This year, some schools have reopened in cases where it is safe and feasible to do so.

In places where it is not feasible, safe and child-friendly learning spaces have been set up, using existing community structures where possible and establishing new spaces as needed.

Back-to-school campaigns have mobilized communities, raising awareness and encouraging families to enroll their children.

Mohamed is enrolled at Eltaka Safe Learning Space in Kassala State, where displaced and host community children learn together and receive psychosocial support.

Kassala is one of five states targeted by GPE funding; safe learning spaces have been established in communities with some of the highest numbers of internally displaced people.

The safe learning spaces offer accelerated learning programs to help children who have missed out on schooling due to the conflict.

Additionally, the spaces are equipped with teaching and learning materials as well as recreational supplies, ensuring a holistic approach that prioritizes learning and the well-being of enrolled children.

Facilitators and teachers working at safe learning spaces have been trained to provide quality learning, cater to psychosocial needs and provide life skills opportunities for crisis-affected learners.

Ready to adapt to evolving needs

Safe learning spaces are designed to support the resumption of learning, but they are flexible and can serve as alternative learning centers, e-learning centers or formal schools depending on communities’ needs.

• Alternative learning centers have existed throughout Sudan since 2005 to provide education opportunities for out-of-school children. The alternative learning program was designed to support children who dropped out of school in conflict-affected areas and internally displaced children, employing an accelerated curriculum that enables children to complete primary education in four years rather than eight. Most of the 365 safe learning spaces established with GPE funding offer the accelerated learning program.
• E-learning centers offer digital learning in remote and hard-to-reach communities. UNICEF has successfully tested the use of digital learning and is scaling up the innovative education program thanks to GPE funding. Over 100 new e-learning centers are being established in safe learning spaces and schools, each equipped with a solar panel, around 30 tablets and accessories, including headphones, locally made wooden stands for the tablets and a charging station. The tablets function both online or offline, offering self-paced learning facilitated by a trained facilitator. The digital content covers Arabic, English, math, ICT and science and is aligned with the national curriculum, which ensures children can be reintegrated into the formal learning system.

Building system capacity to deliver education

To better respond to the current education crisis and meet the needs of children and communities, partners in Sudan are strengthening data collection and use.

New data collection tools are helping track displaced students as well as monitor access, attendance and supply provision at safe learning spaces.

Contingency planning at the sub-national level is improving preparedness for crises and emergencies to ensure a more efficient response from state and local officials.

With support from GPE and UNICEF, children like Mohamed are acquiring the skills they need to overcome challenges and build resilience.