Secondary Education in Sudan
Technically, children who attend schools of secondary education in Sudan should be between the ages of fifteen and eighteen. Classes generally include four years and are called Form 1, Form 2, Form 3, Form 4. But this in a perfect world where children's only responsibilities are playing and learning. The truth is, the level of education varies on the area of Sudan. For example, Southern Sudan is one of the poorest areas of the world due to the damage inflicted by the long years of war. Specifically, in the Sudanese states of Southern Blue Nile and Upper Nile, they have virtually no secondary schools for the one million residents. With the help of churches and service organizations, a few have been built in Southern Sudan, but only about two or three must serve an area of approximately fifteen million people. For those that want and can go to school, it is very difficult to travel. For girls in particular, it is far too dangerous to be away from home, so most are not sent to secondary school.
Sadly, the numbers surrounding children who attend secondary education in Sudan are alarming. With about four-hundred thousand enrolled, attendance is less than twenty percent of those that should be attending. Coupled with the fact that a majority of children do not complete primary school, thus preventing them from attending secondary schools, the educational infrastructure is not equipped to handle large groups of children in classes. Teachers, themselves are not educated, and many abandon their posts to take work elsewhere or work their farms. Further, teachers are ill-equipped to deal with the types of students attending classes. Many students are the same age as the teachers and are ex-soldiers making it difficult for teachers to keep control of the classes. Because of the situation, churches who are building schools are actually looking to teach those twenty-one and older through adult education courses.
For many, they must complete their primary school education first, therefore, Accelerated
Learning Programs have been developed. This allows students to complete the primary school curriculum in two to three years, then move on to secondary education in Sudan. For girls, they are married off sometimes as early as twelve. By the time they reach eighteen, they are considered unmarriable, plus poorer families need the brides' dowries. And if a girl marries, she rarely ever goes back to school. So girls are often neglected when it comes to education.
Health is another reason children do not attend secondary school. Young girls die in childbirth and both males and females who suffer from AIDS and HIV are not permitted to attend classes. Older children are also expected to help support the family. And with the years of war, some are the sole providers for those remaining family members. Further, young boys have historically been recruited for the armed forces, leaving no time for school. And those that do survive the fighting do not have the necessary skills to attend.
Although the final number is still very small, one fact that is encouraging, of the students who do manage to complete primary school, sixty-four percent actually go on to secondary school according to UNICEF and Edum.net. But, children in the north are more likely to complete the required Secondary School Certificate than those in the south. Historically, there have been many more schools in the north, plus the north's people were richer making it prestigious for their children to attend schools.
As the country rebuilds schools, many foreign teachers from various charitable organizations are conducting classes with the intent of training local teachers and turning the schools over to Sudanese control when everything and everybody is in place. Further, the organizations work closely with community leaders and the elders of the villages in an attempt to include all members of society and improve secondary education in Sudan.