International Relief Agency: Sudan on the Brink of the Worlds Worst Educational Crisis

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Save the Children has reported that the number of violent attacks on schools and education in Sudan has quadrupled since the conflict began in April of last year.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the organization highlighted that the violence affecting schools and education includes air raids on schools that have resulted in the deaths and injuries of students and teachers, as well as the torture, killing, and kidnapping of teachers, and sexual violence against students within educational facilities. Other incidents include armed groups occupying schools, using schools as storage facilities for weapons, and engaging in battles within educational buildings. There have been reports of 88 incidents of violence, in addition to the closure of most schools.

Dr. Arif Noor, Country Director of Save the Children in Sudan, stated, "Not only are childrens lives at stake, but their futures are as well. Millions of children continue to face disruptions in their education, with their schools destroyed by bombs, taken over as shelters for displaced families, or their learning halted as they flee."

He added, "Sudan is a signatory to the Safe Schools Declaration, an international political commitment by governments to protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from the worst effects of armed conflict. We need to see action on this commitment to protect education and the future of children from harm."

The Education Cluster, a group of relief agencies including Save the Children working on education in Sudan, has warned that the country is on the brink of the worlds worst educational crisis, with the majority of schools closed, leaving over 18 million children out of the 22 million children in the country out of school for more than a year now.

Save the Children has called on leaders in Sudan to make schools safe places for children and to take urgent political action at national, regional, and international levels to end the fighting and achieve an inclusive, locally-led peace process.

The organization also called on all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international law, including ensuring humanitarian access and the protection of children.