{"id":20105226,"date":"2024-10-28T20:26:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/?p=20105226"},"modified":"2024-10-28T20:25:57","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:25:57","slug":"sudan-teachers-ministry-decision-to-hold-certificate-exams-political-and-discriminatory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/sudan-teachers-ministry-decision-to-hold-certificate-exams-political-and-discriminatory","title":{"rendered":"Sudan Teachers: Ministry decision to hold Certificate exams \u2018political and discriminatory\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sudan\u2019s ongoing conflict has devastated all sectors of society, with education bearing some of the worst consequences. In an interview with Radio Dabanga, Sudanese Teachers\u2019 Committee (STC) leading member Duriya Babiker pointed to safety concerns, economic hardship, and political obstacles that prevent the school year from resuming equitably.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe war that began on April 15, 2023, has brought disaster across Sudan, especially to education,\u201d Babiker told Radio Dabanga reporter Ashraf Abdelaziz in an interview. \u201cStudents and teachers are now displaced, homeless, or trapped in conflict zones, where they endure daily suffering without security or stable livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nation\u2019s Children Fund (UNICEF) says that around 19 million children are out of school<\/a>. Babiker noted that about 10,400 schools now serve as shelters<\/a> or military barracks, casting \u201ca dark shadow\u201d over the future of Sudan\u2019s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Politically motivated\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Babiker criticised the recent decision to reopen schools in so-called \u201csafe\u201d states, calling it politically driven rather than educationally sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She questioned the state\u2019s commitment to a safe and functioning educational process. \u201cSchools need a safe environment, yet many teachers haven\u2019t received salaries, and essential supplies are lacking. This decision to reopen schools is a political gesture rather than a genuine effort to rebuild education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She cited an incident in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bombed a school, killing dozens of children, as evidence of the dangers students face even in \u201csafe\u201d zones. \u201cIn other states, poverty keeps many students out of school, as families can\u2019t afford even basic needs like breakfast or textbooks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resuming exams<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Babiker was particularly concerned about the federal Ministry of Education\u2019s decision to resume Certificate exams in December, calling it \u201cdiscriminatory\u201d. \u201cThis move ignores students trapped in unsafe regions, denying them equal educational rights,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScheduling exams now disregards the movement restrictions and security risks that make travel dangerous, let alone the difficulty of securing exams\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October last year, the federal Education Ministry\u2019s instructed the resumption of studies in the areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The Sudanese Teachers\u2019 Committee rejected the decision to resume studies in safe areas, calling it \u201can entry point to divide Sudan<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by Dabanga earlier this month, schools in areas under RSF control were not notified by the federal Ministry of Education about its decision to resume Certificate exams<\/a> in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation concerning education in areas controlled by the RSF confirms the stance of the de facto government in Port Sudan. The Sudan Media Forum reported in September that the federal Ministry of Health considers the areas under RSF control \u2018unreachable\u2019 and neither provides medical aid nor financial support<\/a> to the health ministries in these areas.<\/p>\n