Sudan

Summary of Needs

Sudan’s education system is on the brink of collapse following the outbreak of the conflict in April 2023, which resulted in the loss of an entire school year, jeopardizing the future of millions of children. Of the 12.5 million children enrolled in 2023, 10.5 million have been unable to return to school, putting them at risk of permanently dropping out¹. This crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, particularly girls, who face systemic barriers to education during conflicts. Globally, girls in conflict areas are two and a half times more likely to be out of primary school and 90 percent more likely to be out of secondary school². Being out of school not only deprives children of education, but also exposes them to heightened protection risks, including GBV and child recruitment, cutting off access to a safe and protective learning environment.

Displacement has exacerbated a dire educational situation by disrupting learning and straining the overburdened education system. About 90 per cent of displaced individuals are using schools as shelters³. According to State Ministries of Education, over 3,200 schools (17 per cent of all the schools in Sudan) have been used for shelter, posing a significant barrier to accessing education for over 2.5 million internally displaced and host community children.⁴ This dual use of schools fosters tension between IDPs and host communities. IDPs respondents to the 2024 MSNA listed school reopening as one of the risks for forced eviction. In many of the same localities, host communities listed ‘school reopening’ among their top three needs for support.

Prolonged school closure and deprivation of education are associated with significant protection risks and life-threatening circumstances, such as recruitment to armed groups/forces, GBV, child labour, as well as further exclusion and vulnerability, especially for children with disabilities and adolescent girls. Field reports indicate a heightened risk of recruitment to armed groups among out-of-school adolescent boys and girls. At least 209 cases of child recruitment have been documented⁵, while undocumented cases are expected to be much higher. Child marriage is also reported among school-aged children in at least 70 localities as per the MSNA. School-aged children in conflict zones, hard-to-reach areas, and displaced and vulnerable communities are at high risk of violence, abuse, trafficking, and exploitation⁶. Millions of these children urgently need access to safe, protective learning environments with psychosocial support. The war has also escalated attacks on schools, including shelling, destruction, and occupation by armed groups.

Response Strategy

The Education Cluster response will focus on supporting the most vulnerable girls and boys who have been denied access to education or are at risk of dropping out due to the ongoing crisis. The response will focus on providing learning opportunities in safe, protective environments to improve their learning, well-being, and mental health, while mitigating the severe protection risks associated with prolonged school closures. The response will prioritize urgent life-saving and immediate education needs to ensure continuity of learning for 3 million school-aged children, including those with disabilities, through formal and non-formal education. Key strategies will include protecting children from physical threats, including sexual abuse and exploitation, and from recruitment into armed groups. They will also provide mental health and psychosocial support to both children and teachers to address the trauma of conflict and displacement; ensure equitable access to education with an emphasis on addressing the unique barriers faced by girls and children with disabilities. This approach recognizes the protective benefits of access to schools and learning centres, offering a safe space that contributes to these children's overall well-being and security.

The Education Cluster response will focus on:

• Providing principled and timely life-saving assistance that promotes children’s and teachers’ well-being,
• Enabling equitable access to safe, protective and inclusive learning environment,
• Providing quality education for crisis-affected girls and boys, including children with disabilities.

The response will be adapted to the specific needs in different areas, prioritizing the most vulnerable children in hotspot areas who might be exposed to exceptionally aggravating circumstances:

• Hotspot areas: scale up non-formal education (NFE) in safe learning spaces and offer remote and eLearning opportunities to ensure learning continuity and dissemination of life-saving messages;
• Relatively safer states without school reopening: engage with government bodies and partners to expedite school reopening and work closely with the Shelter and Protection Clusters to promote alternative shelter solutions for IDPs currently sheltering in schools;
• Safe states with school reopening: focus on facilitating children’s return to reopened schools by providing learning materials, psychosocial support and other essential resources to facilitate reintegration.

Partners will prioritize restoring education services and fostering community ownership to ensure a sustainable response. Close collaboration with WASH, Protection, Food Security, Health, and Nutrition clusters will support the integrated delivery of services to children in schools and learning centres to achieve collective outcomes for children’s learning and well-being. The learning spaces will serve as a safe environment and entry points to obtain the above services.

Targeting and Prioritization

The Education Cluster prioritizes school-aged children who have been out of school for over a year, particularly in areas classified as severity levels 3 to 5. The targeting approach considers children who are not benefiting from ongoing non-humanitarian funded programs, Vulnerable groups, including children with disabilities, adolescent girls, and those in displaced or conflict-affected communities, localities where partner presence and capacity align with the most critical needs. By tailoring interventions to the severity of local needs, the response will ensure the efficient allocation of resources to those at greatest risk.

Cost of Response

Education as a protection tool helps mitigate protection risks, improve overall child well-being and aid recovery from the trauma of violence. The Education Cluster requires $108.1 million to deliver critical education services to vulnerable children. Additional funds will be sought to reach those in hard-to-reach areas as security and access conditions improve. Rising costs, driven by supply chain issues, factory closures, looting, and cashflow shortages, have reduced families' purchasing power further complicating efforts to restore education for children.