Importance of Education in Sudan & What It Means for the Future

What does a classroom mean in a country at war? In Sudan, it can mean a meal, a safe place to sit, a teacher who still shows up without pay, and a reason for a child to keep believing in tomorrow. That is why the importance of education in Sudan goes far beyond reading and math.

Since fighting began in April 2023, Sudan’s schools have been closed, damaged, turned into shelters, and even attacked. In August 2026, the UN reported that at least 8 million children, nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-age children, are out of school. Some have missed nearly 500 days of learning.

In this guide, we’ll look at why education is important in Sudan, the biggest education challenges in Sudan today, where access to education in Sudan is slowly improving, and what all of it means for the country’s future.

Why Education Is Important in Sudan

Education is one of the few things that can shape what Sudan looks like after the war. As one Sudanese education blog puts it, education is “a fundamental pillar that shapes the future of any nation”. Here is why it matters so much right now:

• It rebuilds the economy. It is estimated that each year of schooling raises future earnings by about 10%. A country rebuilding from war needs teachers, engineers, nurses, and doctors.
• It protects girls. Girls out of school face a higher risk of early marriage. Staying in class gives them independence and a clearer sense of their rights.
• It keeps children safe and healthy. Schools give children routine, protection, and often meals and health support. When a school closes, children face greater risks of hunger, violence, and trauma.
• It heals communities. Shared classrooms encourage tolerance and dialogue between groups, which a divided country badly needs.
• It fights misinformation. Strong literacy and numeracy help young people take part in economic and civic life and resist harmful narratives.

Put simply, the importance of education in Sudan is tied to peace, health, and recovery all at once.

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Education Challenges in Sudan Today

Sudan’s school system was fragile even before the war. A 2018 assessment found that only 2% of Grade 3 students could read Arabic fluently, and 39% could not read at all. The conflict has made every one of these gaps wider.

Millions of Children Out of School

The scale is hard to picture. Roughly 8 million children are not in school, and Save the Children estimates many have gone about 484 days without classes. Every lost month makes it harder for a child to return. Older children often take on work or care for younger siblings, and once they fall years behind, many never come back to the classroom.

Schools Closed, Damaged, or Under Attack

In Darfur, UNICEF reports that 81% of schools are closed and 70% of children are not attending class. Nearly three-quarters of schools in the region are damaged, destroyed, or unusable.

Even where schools are open, learning is fragile. In October 2026, the Norwegian Refugee Council reported that teachers in El Obeid regularly suspend lessons because of drones overhead. Strikes there destroyed warehouses holding more than 330,000 textbooks. One girls’ school has about 1,200 students and only three usable classrooms.

Unpaid Teachers and Shrinking Funding

More than half of Sudan’s teachers have gone unpaid since the war began, yet many keep teaching anyway. Funding is also falling. Education receives less than 3% of global humanitarian aid, and 2025 cuts in U.S. aid forced many education and child protection programs to shrink or stop.

Hunger, Displacement, and Trauma

About 14 million people have been forced from their homes, and 33.7 million need humanitarian assistance. A child who is hungry, sick from unsafe water, or living in fear cannot focus in class. Poor nutrition affects brain development, and many children carry trauma or adult responsibilities that keep them away from school.

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Access to Education in Sudan: Signs of Hope

The picture is grim, but it is not hopeless. Across Sudan, families, teachers, and partners are finding ways to keep learning alive:

• New funding for learning. In August 2026, Education Cannot Wait announced a $22 million, three-year program to help 200,000 children return to learning in West Darfur, South Kordofan, and Gedaref. At least 60% of those children will be girls.
• Exams that kept going. In September 2026, Sudan announced secondary school results, with 69.6% of academic-stream students passing and exams held at 84 centres in 17 countries for students abroad.
• Learning centres in hard-hit cities. NRC-supported centres in El Obeid have enrolled more than 5,500 pupils, helping them catch up and cope with stress.
• Making the economic case. UNESCO and Sudan’s Ministry of Education are using a Price of Inaction Study to measure the cost of not investing in education, giving decision-makers a clear reason to prioritise schools.
• Community-led solutions. Mobile schools, vocational training, and grassroots fundraising are reaching children in remote areas.

What Education Means for Sudan’s Future

UN officials have warned that Sudan risks losing a generation to war for a second time. That warning is really about the future.

Today’s out-of-school children are tomorrow’s workforce, parents, and leaders. Here’s what’s at stake:

• The economy: Lost schooling reduces national output by billions and deepens poverty that conflict has already made worse.
• Health: A country rebuilding its hospitals and clinics needs a new generation of trained nurses, doctors, and public health workers.
• Skills and jobs: Vocational and technical training will give young people practical skills for rebuilding homes, farms, and businesses.
• Peace: Classrooms that bring children from different communities together build the trust a post-war Sudan will depend on.

If children miss years of learning, Sudan loses the skills it needs to rebuild hospitals, farms, and cities. If they get back to class, they become the doctors, teachers, and peacemakers who carry the country forward. The choice is not between education and recovery. Education is recovery.

As UNESCO’s representative to Sudan has put it, the goal is to quantify “the economic and social costs of failing to invest in education”. In Sudan, those costs are already visible.

FAQs

1. Why is education important in Sudan?

Education builds the skills Sudan needs to rebuild, protects children from exploitation, and supports peace. Each year of schooling raises future earnings by about 10%, according to the World Bank.

2. How many children are out of school in Sudan?

At least 8 million children, nearly half of Sudan’s 17 million school-age children, are out of school as of August 2026.

3. What are the biggest education challenges in Sudan?

The main challenges are conflict, closed or damaged schools, unpaid teachers, displacement, hunger, and low funding. More than half of teachers have gone unpaid since the war began.

4. How has the war affected schools in Sudan?

Schools have been closed, used as shelters, and attacked. In Darfur, 81% of schools are closed, and drone strikes in El Obeid have disrupted lessons and destroyed 330,000+ textbooks.

5. Is access to education in Sudan improving?

Slowly, in some areas. A new $22 million Education Cannot Wait program aims to help 200,000 children return to learning, and NRC centres in El Obeid have enrolled over 5,500 pupils.

6. Are Sudanese students still taking national exams?

Yes. In September 2026, Sudan announced secondary results, with a 69.6% pass rate in the academic stream and exams held in 17 countries for students abroad.

7. How does the war affect girls’ education in Sudan?

Girls out of school face higher risks of early marriage and violence. That’s why the new ECW program commits to making at least 60% of its beneficiaries girls.

8. How do hunger and health affect learning in Sudan?

Hunger and illness make it hard to focus, and poor nutrition can affect brain development. The hunger crisis has worsened learning, which is why food, clean water, and healthcare are part of keeping children in school.