Teachers Committee Calls to Protect and Guarantee Education in Sudan

Moatinoon
The Sudanese Teachers Committee called on the international community to treat education in Sudan as a fundamental right of children and an issue linked to the protection of civilians and the building of peace and stability, not merely as a public service disrupted by war. The committee urged the United Nations, the Security Council, the African Union, and international organizations to move beyond simply diagnosing the education crisis and to take practical measures to protect and ensure its continuity.

The committees demands were made in a press statement issued by its media office on August 8, 2026, following an Arria-formula meeting held at the United Nations headquarters in New York on August 7, 2026, on "Protecting Education in Sudan: Investing in Peace, Recovery, and Stability." The meeting was convened by the Republic of Somalia, with the participation of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia.

The meeting discussed the escalating repercussions of the war in Sudan on children, students, teachers, and educational facilities. It addressed the destruction and closure of schools resulting from the ongoing conflict, the displacement of large numbers of students and teachers, the disruption of the educational process, the increased risks of school dropout, exploitation, recruitment, and violence, and the difficulties students face in accessing national examinations.

The meeting was attended by a number of international officials and experts, including UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Management Hanan Suleiman, and Executive Director of the Global Alliance to Protect Education from Attack Lisa Chung-Bender. Discussions focused on the serious consequences of continued disruption to education for Sudans future and its ability to rebuild its institutions and services and achieve peace and stability.

The Sudanese Teachers Committee stated that the meetings importance lay in placing the issue of Sudanese education within the framework of rights, protection, and the protection of civilians. They asserted that the continuation of the war not only means the loss of an academic year or a temporary disruption of the educational process, but also threatens an entire generation, widens the circle of educational loss, and opens the door to numerous risks, including recruitment, exploitation, violence, early marriage, and other violations.

The Committee noted that since the outbreak of the war, it has consistently placed the collapse of education at the forefront of the conflicts repercussions, demanding the protection of schools, students, and teachers, ensuring the continuity of the educational process, protecting teachers rights, addressing the situation of students affected by the war, and guaranteeing their right to take national examinations.

It emphasized that teachers are a fundamental part of the education protection system, stressing that protecting schools alone is insufficient given the threats, displacement, and denial of salaries and professional rights faced by teachers. She stated that the continuation of education requires teachers to continue fulfilling their roles, which necessitates providing protection, fair wages, professional stability, and the necessary support for teachers working in war and emergency situations.

The committee called on the parties to the conflict and the regional and international communities to explicitly include education in the civilian protection agenda and to guarantee the right of all children to safe and continuous education without discrimination based on geographic location, displacement, or areas of control.

It also called for an end to the targeting of schools and educational facilities and their use for military purposes, the evacuation of educational institutions used for military purposes and their return to civilian functions, as well as ensuring the safety of teachers and education sector workers, protecting their salaries and professional rights, and providing support to displaced teachers.

The committees demands also included providing funding and support for safe and resilient education in war-affected areas, including alternative education, addressing learning loss, and supporting children who have lost years of schooling due to the conflict.

Regarding examinations, the committee stressed the need to guarantee the right of all Sudanese students to access recognized national examinations and to establish safe and flexible arrangements for displaced students and students in war-affected areas. It warned that the continuation of the war should not lead to a parallel educational reality and certificates that could deepen national divisions.

The committee also called for the establishment of reliable mechanisms to monitor and document violations against the education sector, including the targeting and military use of schools and violations committed against students and teachers, while ensuring that those responsible are held accountable and do not escape punishment.

The committee demanded that the protection and continuity of education be included in any future ceasefire arrangements, truces, or political settlements, emphasizing that the education file should not be postponed until after the end of the war.

The committee called upon the United Nations, the Security Council, the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States, UNICEF, UNESCO, and international and regional partners to consider education in Sudan a matter of rights, protection, and peace, and to provide the necessary resources for its continuation.

The committee affirmed that the growing international attention to the education crisis in Sudan is a significant step, but stressed the need to translate the outcomes of the Arria meeting and international positions into practical, measurable, and monitorable programs and mechanisms, so that protecting education does not remain merely a matter of statements and declarations.

The Sudanese Teachers Committee concluded its statement by emphasizing that education is a right that cannot be extinguished by war, that protecting schools is part of protecting civilians, and protecting teachers is part of protecting education. It further stated that ensuring childrens education is a direct investment in Sudans future, calling on the regional and international communities to move from diagnosing the education crisis to providing effective protection, sustainable resources, and accountability.