Primary Education in Sudan
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Sudan, implemented in 1998, literacy must be an important element of Sudanese life. The government's educational goal, both state and country, is to "combat illiteracy, strengthen educational systems, promote science, research and scientific cooperation, and facilitate access to education and research". And that means children going to school, as well as adults attending institutes of higher learning. Called "basic school", primary education in Sudan is generally reserved for children between the ages of seven through fourteen.
The Federal Ministry of General Education is responsible for managing curricula and maintaining statistical records about the children's educational habits. Presently, approximately nine million children are enrolled in primary education schools in Sudan. Unfortunately, although these numbers seem impressive, as many as fifty percent do not attend classes due to various constraints. One of those differences from other countries where children must legally attend classes is the fact that historically girls are not permitted by their families to go to school. While this is changing in some areas, the numbers are still considerably high for girls that do not participate in classes.
Another obstacle for children whose families want them to get an education is the physical access. For many areas in the south of Sudan, schools must serve more than one village, thus, making it impossible for children to travel to the schools depending on how far away they live. Further, even though the Constitution states education is important, the truth is there are few resources dedicated to schools and teachers. As a result, many teachers are volunteers from service organizations. It has been documented by UNICEF that as many as one-third of the teachers have no training whatsoever.
Lack of wealth is another reason children are not able to attend classes. Typically, richer families can afford school and exam fees, as well as uniforms. For those that cannot afford the charges, their children stay out of school. For those that have a little money, they must make a decision choosing between which children to send. Not all will be allowed to go and definitely no girls. Happily, in recent years, international organizations have helped to increase the awareness for children going to school and in fact, have made considerable strides in getting families to adopt the understanding that girls should go as well. There has been a great movement to get female children into classrooms early in their years.
For children who do attend schools of primary education in Sudan, they follow a diverse course of learning including both the Arabic and English languages, cultural and religious programs, art, sports activities, and preparing for tournaments against other schools. Competitions have included the Holy Quran, an English Debate, Classical Arabic, and Children Drawings.
Indeed, there is no doubt that progress is being made in Sudan, but statistics show that less than fifty percent of the children who do attend school actually complete their courses. In some areas, the rate is as low as two percent. This leads to longterm illiteracy for the country and lifelong illiteracy for its people. As a result, the Millennium Development Goals in South Sudan address this issue. Goal Two's objective is to "Achieve Universal Primary Education". Specifically it states that by 2015, all children, boys and girls, must be permitted to complete the full course of primary education in Sudan.
In an attempt to reach this goal, The State Ministry of Education and UNICEF have been supporting mobile schools, along with a mobile teacher, for nomadic families who still move long distances. International aid organizations are also rebuilding schools and providing uniforms, books, and desks to make the burden lighter for impoverished families.