Education
Quality education is a right for all children
- English
- العربية
Challenge
Article 28 of the UN Convention on the rights of the Child (UNCRC) stipulates that every child has the right to an education.
But for far too many children in Sudan, this right has been denied.
Years of conflict and repeated disruptions have pushed the country into one of the world’s largest learning crises.
Millions of children have lost access to school due to increased violence and insecurity. For many, the dream of returning to school and or completing their education remains out of reach as families continue to face displacement and instability.
At least 8 million school-aged children are out of school.
Even before the current conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged school closures had left nearly 7 million children out of school in a country already grappling with poverty and instability. Unfortunately, girls were mostly affected.
The longer children remain out of school, the higher the risk of not returning, leaving them exposed to immediate and long-term dangers, including recruitment by armed groups, and gender-based violence. Girls are particularly vulnerable to child marriage.
Lost learning has lasting consequences for children and society increasing marginalization, poverty and food insecurity.
The ongoing conflict has further deepened Sudan’s learning crisis. Today, an estimated 8 million children across the country are out of school after years of conflict and displacement. In Darfur alone, of the nearly 4 million school aged children, over 3 million are now out of school.
Nearly half of all school buildings are no longer functional as classrooms, forcing millions of children out of learning and stripping away their sense of safety, routine, and hope for the future. Schools where children once learned and played have been damaged by fighting, while many others have been repurposed as temporary shelter for families displaced by violence.
What UNICEF is doing?
Across the world, UNICEF works to ensure that every child, no matter who they are or where they live, has access to quality education. Schools are more than places of learning- they are also safe spaces where children can be protected from violence, abuse and exploitation.
In Sudan, UNICEF and partners are supporting government efforts to restore and improve access to education for millions of children affected by years of conflict and disruption by:
Restoring access to education
- Supporting the reopening of schools in safer areas to ensure continuity of learning. Through school grants, UNICEF supports minor rehabilitation of classrooms and the provision of essential teaching and learning materials, helping create safe, inclusive, and effective learning environments.
- Supporting the reactivation and strengthening of Parents Teachers’ Associations (PTAs) to enhance school governance, foster community ownership, and support school reopening efforts. Strong and functional PTAs play a critical role in identifying local education priorities and promoting inclusive, accountable, and effective school management.
- Providing essential teaching and learning materials, recreational supplies and dignity kits to ensure children participate in structured learning.
- Establishing Safe Learning Spaces (SLSs) to expand access to education in conflict-affected areas where schools remain closed due to insecurity or where displacement led to large numbers of out-of-school children (OOSC).
- Expanding access to education through alternative learning programmes (ALPs), including accelerated and catch-up lessons for out-of-school children.
- Supporting back-to-school campaigns to increase enrolment, retention and completion, particularly among girls living in the most remote areas and children with disabilities.
Improving quality of education
Access to education alone is not enough. Every child deserves quality learning.
- UNICEF and partners strengthen teachers’ skills through targeted training on effective teaching approaches, including Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), enabling them to better support children in overcrowded and resource-constrained classrooms.
- Teachers are also trained to deliver remedial learning programmes that help children recover lost learning, with a focus on foundational literacy and numeracy.
Supporting adolescent Engagement
UNICEF supports adolescent-led clubs in schools and safe learning spaces, creating opportunities for meaningful adolescent engagement in school and community activities.
Through skills development programmes, including the Learning to Earning (LETS), UNICEF equips adolescents, particularly girls, with practical and employable skills. Starter kits help young people transition from learning to earning by supporting income-generating activities and expanding future livelihood opportunities.
Strengthening education systems
UNICEF supports the digitization of the government’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) and strengthens education data systems to improve planning, monitoring, and evidence-based decision making.
Support also extends to school-level data collection to strengthen information, school functionality, enrolment and learning conditions.
Engaging communities for sustainability
Together with partners, UNICEF works closely with communities to strengthen local ownership and education programmes sustainability by:
- Establishing and supporting PTA members and community-based committees to enhance school governance and community oversight.
- Providing training for PTAs on School Improvement Planning (SIP) to help schools identify priorities and plan for safe and inclusive learning.
- Promoting school autonomy to enable schools and communities to manage local education needs more effectively.
- Establishing community-based committees (including SLS and Digital Learning committees) to strengthen local ownership and resilience.
- Supporting community systems to recruit and manage SLS teachers.
Through its education programmes, UNICEF helps create inclusive, safe, and child-friendly learning environments that enable every child to reach their full potential.