19 million children in Sudan are out of school, says UNICEF

October 10, 2023 (PORT SUDAN) – An estimated 19 million children in Sudan are currently out of school as the brutal conflict approaches the six-month mark next week, the UN children agency (UNICEF) said on Monday.

6.5 million of these children, it said, lost access to school due to increased violence and insecurity in their region, with 10,400 schools closed in conflict-affected areas.

Also, over 5.5 million children residing in areas less impacted by war are reportedly waiting for local authorities to confirm whether classrooms can be reopened.

According to UNICEF, before fighting erupted in April, nearly 7 million children were already out of school in a nation grappling with poverty and instability.

If the war rages on, no child in Sudan will be able to go back to school in the coming months, leaving them exposed to immediate and long-term dangers, including displacement, recruitment into armed groups and sexual violence, it said.

“Sudan is on the brink of becoming home to the worst education crisis in the world,” said Mandeep O’Brien, the UNICEF Country Representative in Sudan, adding, “Children have been exposed to the horrors of war for nearly half a year.

Now, forced away from their classrooms, teachers, and friends, they are at risk of falling into a void that will impact the dreams and future of an entire generation.

Meanwhile, UNICEF and Save the Children are reportedly working with partners to ensure millions of Sudanese children can access quality education and safely go back to school soon before their academic year is compromised.

The two children agencies urged authorities in Sudanese to reopen schools in safe areas, while supporting alternative learning modalities in communities where schools can no longer be open due to safety and security concerns in the country.

Further appealed were also extended to the international community to stand in solidarity with the Sudanese children whose education is at stake, and to provide the necessary resources and support to ensure millions of Sudanese children can go back to school and ensure conflict-affected children have the opportunity to access learning and psychosocial support in safe spaces.

Since the conflict began, Sudan has emerged as the globe’s most extensive internal displacement crisis, with 4.4 million people newly displaced within Sudan, including around 2.5 million children. Additionally, 5 million school-age children find themselves trapped in areas of active conflict, placing them in the highest jeopardy of losing crucial access to education and essential protection services.

At least 24.7 million people or half of the Sudanese population now require humanitarian assistance and protection as the conflict, displacement, and disease outbreaks threaten to consume the entire country, aid agencies said.

(ST)