3.1.5. Education

In April 2024, one year after the start of the conflict, UNESCO reported that over 10 000 schools had shut down in the country, resulting in about 19 million children being deprived of schooling.727 Almost a year after, in March 2025, UNOCHA reported that almost 17 million children in Sudan were out of school with 90 % of schools still closed728 and UNICEF estimated that eight million children were out of school as of October 2025.729

In Khartoum, many schools were damaged in the conflict or became used as shelters for displaced families or as mass burial sites. 730 In June 2025, the Sudanese Teachers’ Committee expressed its disagreement with the government’s decision to reopen schools citing concerns about security conditions for both students and staff as well as unpaid teachers’ wages.731

According the 2026 Education Situation overview by the Sudan Education Cluster, bringing together UNICEF, Save the Children and other partners data, 1 830 (48 %) out of 3 796 schools had reopened in Khartoum state as of January 2026, with around 400 000 children (38.3 %) in the state having access to education.732

In North Darfur only 3 % of its 1 100 schools were open. In West Kordofan, South Darfur and West Darfur, 15 %, 13 % and 27 % of schools were operational respectively.733 Most regions reported higher enrolment for boys, with significant gender gaps in Khartoum, North Darfur, and East Darfur.734

Access to quality education was limited to families able to afford to travel and relocate abroad, either through sufficient savings or the support from family members living abroad. Within Sudan, education was available only in limited areas controlled by the SAF, while the rest of the population was denied access.735

The results of the Welfare Monitoring Survey Round IV conducted in Sudan in 2025 showed higher primary attendance among refugee children in camps than among non-displaced Sudanese children. This contrasted with administrative data showing low overall refugee enrolment, underscoring vulnerabilities for refugees outside camps.736 Refugee children in camps have slightly higher primary school enrolment rates than both IDPs and non-displaced populations, with boys (74 %) and girls (72 %) both outpacing national averages, indicating that refugee children in surveyed camps have better access to schools supported by UN/NGOs and development partners. Refugee boys continued to lead in secondary education enrolment, while Sudanese girls surpassed refugee girls. These patterns emphasised persistent gender disparities in educational access, with more significant gaps seen in refugee communities compared to Sudanese nationals.737

Three out of four refugee households among those interviewed (1 112 refugee households across 18 states738) cited high school fees and costs as the main reason their children cannot attend school. This was notably less reported among non-displaced (55 %) and internally displaced households (42 %), underscoring the severe financial pressures refugees faced due to limited income and resources. In several refugee camps, schools have ceased to operate, leaving families with no choice but to send their children to schools outside the camps — a solution that is often prohibitively expensive. Although respondents noted that school fees may not be charged, the costs associated with school materials and uniforms remained too high, leading many families to opt out of sending their children to school.739

Sudanese secondary school certificate exams for the 2024–2025 cohort were held on 13 April 2026 in government‑controlled areas, including parts of Kordofan. Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, western Darfur has been excluded from these national exams, leaving a large cohort of students in the region without access to the official Sudanese certificate process. More than half a million students have registered for the secondary school certificate exams, an increase of 344 000 from the exams of the postponed batch 2022-2023, for which more than 220 000 students registered. In 2026, 148 842 students registered to take the exams in Khartoum state, compared to 30 000 students who registered the previous year.740 In areas under RSF control, the de facto parallel government announced plans to hold its own school exams in June 2026.741 Estimates indicate that the number of students from Western Sudan that will not sit the exam range between 250 000 and 280 000 students. 742

Following the outbreak of the conflict, the University of Khartoum and other government universities reportedly shifted to online teaching through platforms such as Google Meet, Telegram, and WhatsApp. Universities in combat-affected or RSF-controlled areas faced significant challenges maintaining instruction, with students often hindered by security and limited internet access. Access to academic records has been reportedly challenging for Sudanese students, requiring payment of high fees and repeated visits to key offices.743 In July 2025, the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reported that Neelain University was hosting entrance exams at its Khartoum campus for the first time in two years, with 987 students sitting the tests.744 The Sudan University of Science and Technology in Khartoum reports about 258 million USD in losses, including the destruction of all 300 laboratories, including a nuclear chemistry lab, and extensive looting of medical equipment, computers, power transformers, copper, timber, libraries, and campus facilities. As of February 2026, rehabilitation was ongoing at 9 of the 10 campuses of the Sudan University of Science and Technology, where the first round of January 2026 exams was being held.745