Sudan’s education system has been reeling since before the war erupted, with the crisis deepening markedly over the past three years. The turmoil has pushed thousands of students out of school and created a backlog of academic cohorts. Amid the country’s geographic fragmentation, students face uneven challenges.
Centres for the Sudanese Certificate examinations, scheduled for April 13, are concentrated in areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), forcing families to shoulder steep travel and accommodation costs far beyond their means.
Against this complex backdrop, the government of Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasis), which includes the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North faction led by Al-Hilu, and other groups, has announced plans to hold their own secondary school exams in June, separate from the official one. The exams are set to take place in areas under the alliance’s control, despite uncertainty over whether the results will be recognized either inside Sudan or internationally.
Meanwhile, parents whose children managed to reach SAF-controlled areas face additional financial burdens, including high tuition fees and the rising costs of living and housing, particularly for families with more than one school-age child.
Under these circumstances, complaints are mounting among parents in several cities, including Sinnar, Al-Gadaref and Omdurman, over deteriorating access to education and its mounting cost.
Abubakr Abdelmajeed, a parent and primary-school teacher, told Atar he was forced to flee from Al-Fashir to Al-Gedaref with his three children, all of whom are due to sit for the Sudanese Certificate examinations, in search of a chance to continue their education after schooling in their home area came to a halt.
The burdens go far beyond tuition, transport, food, and daily costs have become overwhelming while families face a severe shortage of cash.
Abubakr Abdelmajeed, displaced teacher and parent
Abdelmajeed said that after settling in Al-Gedaref, he was unable to enroll his children in public schools due to limited capacity, leaving him with no option but to turn to private schools despite their high fees. Abdelmajeed said the quality of education remains relatively acceptable, but financial challenges have become overwhelming.
He noted a sharp rise in tuition fees, which now stand at 850,000 Sudanese pounds (about 251.85 US dollars) per student at the school his children attend, alongside a shortage of textbooks.
Abdelmajeed said the burdens extend beyond school fees to daily expenses such as transportation and food, at a time when families are struggling with a severe shortage of cash.
He added that frequent power outages and the long distances between homes and schools have further undermined students’ ability to keep up academically.
Despite these hardships, Abdelmajeed said parents and students are exerting every possible effort to overcome the challenges , especially as no certificate examinations are expected next year, following the addition of a new academic year under the revised system, which restructures schooling into three stages, primary, intermediate and secondaryو instead of the previous two-tier system of basic and secondary education. This, he said, makes the current year a crucial opportunity for students.
The teacher also described the severe difficulties families faced during their displacement from Darfur to safer states, particularly for students of certain ages, amid restrictions imposed in areas controlled by the RSF. He noted that the academic year has been unusually long and irregular, having begun in Al-Gedaref on April 28, 2025, further straining families and placing additional pressure on students.
The teacher noted that challenges persist, particularly in covering examination fees, which amount to 120,000 pounds, and in securing seat numbers.
Still, he said students have shown strong commitment to their future and are determined not to miss this opportunity, fearing that any disruption or delay could derail their academic path.
One parent in Sinnar State told Atar that school conditions have broadly deteriorated, with only a few private institutions showing modest improvement. He said the country’s circumstances have forced many students out of school, with large numbers compelled to abandon education in favour of work or household responsibilities.
The parent added that access to printed curricula now depends on financial means, as materials are only available to those who can afford them amid soaring prices.
He also noted that persistent power outages continue to hinder the learning process. Although some families have turned to alternatives such as solar energy, such solutions remain out of reach for many low-income households.
This parent stressed that financial pressure remains the greatest challenge, as families juggle living expenses, school fees and private tutoring costs, making it extremely difficult to keep their children in education.
He added that students’ continuation now hinges largely on personal motivation: those determined to continue do so, while others drop out under the weight of hardship.
He said he returned to his home state of Sinnar with his family after a period spent in the Northern State, noting that although the academic year was unusually long, it gave some students an opportunity to catch up on lost learning. He said his children enrolled from the beginning of the year, despite the challenges they faced.
Looking ahead, he expressed concern about the university stage and the additional costs it entails, saying that completing the current stage is already a major challenge under the country’s economic conditions. Still, he voiced hope that students will continue their education despite the obstacles.
In the same context, Souad Muhamad, who was displaced from a village in North Darfur to Omdurman, told Atar that families facing the Sudanese Certificate exams are in an “extremely difficult” situation. She said obtaining textbooks has become a major challenge due to shortages and soaring prices. Frequent power cuts further complicate the situation, she added, though families try to adapt using limited alternatives to keep studies going.
Souad added that school fees are prohibitively high, especially for displaced families, amounting to 300,000 pounds per student annually, fees collected by public school administrations to cover operational costs, in addition to daily tutoring expenses.
Displacement forced us into a crowded house, without a proper space to study, it has affected my daughter’s ability to perform academically.
Souad Muhamad, displaced from North Darfur to Omdurman
Despite the burden, parents have had to pay all of these costs, along with examination fees Souad described as steep, and the cost of supplementary courses, in an effort to create an environment that enables their children to prepare for the exams.
She said they had been living in a village in North Darfur, but when schools reopened in SAF-controlled areas, they were forced to travel to Omdurman’s Al-Thawra neighborhood. Souad explained that she sent her daughter ahead so she could enroll in school. Although the daughter arrived several months after the academic year had begun, she managed to catch up and continue her studies. The mother later managed to regularize her situation and join her daughter, along with her other children.
She noted that one of the most significant challenges they faced was the lack of a suitable study environment, as displacement forced them to share a small, crowded house with an extended family, with constant noise affecting her daughter’s ability to concentrate and perform academically.
Nevertheless, Souad said her daughter continues to study and strives to overcome these obstacles in the hope of achieving good results.
We had to sell our belongings just to cover the cost of travel from South Darfur to Omdurman and relocation for the exams.
Elaf Ismail, sister of three exam candidates
Elaf Ismail, a sister of three students sitting for the Sudanese Certificate examinations, told Atar her sisters traveled from the outskirts of South Darfur to the city of Atbara, where they faced harsh conditions and were forced to stay in a boarding facility because they had no acquaintances or relatives there.
They later relocated to Omdurman to sit for the exams. She said the most pressing challenge they face is the instability caused by displacement, explaining that the family had to sell its belongings to cover travel and relocation expenses.
Elaf added that her sisters sat for the Sudanese Certificate examinations last year after enduring hardship and the dangers of the journey, but they failed, a result she attributed to what she described as “irregularities that marred last year’s exams.” The outcome, she said, did not reflect their true academic ability.
Elaf said the sisters returned to Darfur after the exams without expecting to fail, but were forced to travel again this year to resit for the tests. This time, the entire family moved to Omdurman, as other children are enrolled in different educational stages, prompting the family to choose stability rather than constant movement between states.
She noted that the war and the collapse of education in Darfur have resulted in the sisters, despite their different ages, studying at the same academic level. She expressed hope that the relevant authorities will pay closer attention to this year’s results and that the problems that plagued last year’s examinations will not be repeated.
These overlapping accounts of Sudan’s education crisis conclude with an open question shaped by the evolving situation on the ground in Darfur and large parts of Kordofan, where the RSF control wide swathes of territory and impose restrictions on student movement, including barring them from traveling to SAF-controlled areas to sit for the Sudanese Certificate examinations.
