The Sudanese catastrophe - floods hit the country

Freshly the floods in Sudan, militia raids around the country, and a third of the children in the country are out of school.

Aid organizations have warned that nearly every school-age child in Sudan is losing out on education, either totally or with significant disruption. Millions of children are still unable to attend school, leaving the nation in the midst of a "generational tragedy," despite some states this week reopening their doors after lengthy closures due to severe flooding.

The Covid-19 pandemic's legacy, a shortage of qualified instructors, teacher strikes, low vaccination rates, and poverty are just a few of the many reasons that have led to the catastrophe.

According to the education ministry, around 600 schools were destroyed in August and September due to flooding and militia attacks. The militia are an army of non professional soldiers. Frequently, schools are empty shells of structures with no furniture, running water, or restrooms.

According to a joint statement from Unicef and Save the Children, nearly 7 million Sudanese children between the ages of six and 18 — or one-third of those in school age — do not attend any school at all.Central Darfur is the state most severely affected, with 63% of children not attending school; West Darfur has a figure of 58%; and eastern Kassala has a figure of 56%. According to the statement, the education of an additional 12 million kids "will be severely disrupted by a lack of competent teachers, infrastructure, and an enabling learning environment to make them attain their full potential."The majority of students in classes are behind in their studies; according to Unicef, 70% of 10-year-olds in public schools are unable to read a basic sentence.

“It’s a generational catastrophe,” said Owen Watkins, communications chief at Unicef Sudan. “Children are always the future of a country. Investing in them is the right thing to do – and they will contribute hugely to the future GDP of the country.

“Children in school is not just about maths, reading and writing,” he added. “They also learn social skills … in a protected environment.”

Everything that is happening in Sudan is incredibly heart breaking. Hundreds of thousands of kids are being robbed of their right to a normal life and comfortable access to education.

Guardian News and Media. (n.d.). The Guardian. Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/oct/05/all

Sudan: Floods - jun 2022. ReliefWeb. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2022-000277-sdn