Education crisis in Sudan puts a generation of children at risk

After more than 1,000 days of conflict, Sudan’s education system is in crisis, with an estimated eight million children currently out of school, the UN child rights agency, UNICEF, warned ahead of the International Day of Education marked on 24 January.According to its Sudan spokesperson, Eva Hinds, one in three schools has been damaged or destroyed, nearly 6,400 are closed nationwide, and around half of all school buildings are no longer functioning as classrooms, many having been repurposed as shelters for the displaced. Prolonged absence from school exposes children to heightened risks of child labour, exploitation and early marriage, particularly for girls. Ms. Hinds told UN News’s Abdelmonem Makki from N’Djamena, Chad – after wrapping up a 10-day visit to Darfur – that denying education to so many threatens an entire generation and could undermine Sudan’s recovery for decades to come.