بين النزوح والدمار.. إرادة التعليم تنتصر في قاعات الامتحان
BETWEEN DISPLACEMENT AND DESTRUCTION.. THE WILL -LEARN PREVAILS IN THE EXAMINATION HALLS
Sudanese Voices
Sun/March/ 29
On Saturday, March 28, the Intermediate School Certificate examinations commenced in Khartoum State.
These exams are being held amidst humanitarian and educational conditions of extreme complexity, a direct result of the war that has ravaged the country since April 2023.
For the first time since the conflict began, these examinations were convened in several of the state’s localities, including East Nile, Jebel Awliya, and Khartoum Locality.
Declining Enrollment and Rising Costs
According to official data, approximately 90,000 students are sitting for exams across various localities this year.
This figure is considered low compared to previous years and the total number of public and private schools.
While official authorities set the examination fees at 25,000 Sudanese Pounds per student, reports indicate that some education administrations are increasing additional fees based on their own assessments.
A Glimpse from the Field,
A supervisor
at the (Al-Barakat) center in the East Nile locality identified as
(A.H.) reported that 268 students are testing at his co-educational center.
He noted that today’s exams covered Islamic Studies and Christian Studies. Notably, only one female student sat for the Christian Studies exam, a stark indicator of the sharp decline in the number of Christian students in the state.
This shift is attributed to the migration of many families to South Sudan or South Kordofan, raising urgent questions regarding the current state of religious freedom.
The Crisis of the Teaching Profession
The private education sector is seeing a massive shift. A private school principal (N.A.) revealed that the Khartoum State Private Education Department has issued nearly 2,000 new permits for private schools, fueled by the decline of public education and the erosion of teacher salaries.
The economic struggle for educators is evident,
Monthly Salary (8th Grade Teacher) Approximately 78,000 SDG a sum that does not cover the bare minimum cost of living.
Professional Practice Exam Fee 25,000 SDG.
Professional ID Card Cost: 65,000 SDG.
As the cost of professional certification now exceeds a teacher's entire monthly salary, observers warn that the continuation of these conditions, without a clear political resolution to the war, poses a grave threat to the future of education in Sudan.
