MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF SUDAN’S CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL AS NEW ACADEMIC YEAR BEGINS

Toronto, September 11, 2025 – More than three quarters of Sudan’s school-age children are at home or in temporary shelters as children across Europe and North America return to class this month, with many increasingly unlikely to ever complete their studies, Save the Children said.

New analysis by Save the Children of Global Education Cluster [1] figures showed that about 13 million of 17 million school-age children in Sudan are out of school in one of the world’s worst education crises.

This includes about seven million children who are enrolled but are unable to go to school due to conflict or displacement, and six million school-age children who aren’t enrolled and at risk of completely losing the chance at an education [2].

All these 13 million children – more than the entire population of Belgium – have been out of school since at least April 2023, with over two-and-a-half years of education lost to conflict. Even before the conflict erupted, nearly seven million children were already out of school in a country grappling with poverty and instability.

Just under half of schools in Sudan have reopened in recent months [3], returning four million children to learning, but other children remain locked out of education due to mass displacement, a lack of teachers and learning materials, and access restrictions.

About 55% of schools remain closed, with about one in 10 reportedly used to house displaced families, according to the Global Education Cluster [3].  Flooding risk in September and October, with above-average rainfall, is likely to further damage infrastructure and displace families and teachers.

Razan*, a 10-year-old girl from Khartoum, was forced to flee her home when conflict erupted. This interrupted Razan’s education, causing her to miss a full academic year, which upset her as she missed her school and friends. Once they settled in a village near Sinjai southeast of the capital, Razan enrolled at school and began rebuilding her routine:

“When we first left Khartoum, I thought we would go back home after a few days. I kept asking my father, ‘When will we go back to my school?”. I was hurt to lose a year of school. I missed my friends and my classroom so much.

“I don’t want any more wars. I just want to wear my backpack every morning and go learn new things.”

Sudan is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with the largest numbers of displaced people and parts of the country pushed into famine conditions. As of July 2025, an estimated 9.9 million people had been forcefully displaced.

Save the Children is urging the international community to redouble efforts to demand a ceasefire in Sudan to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and a drastic scale-up of humanitarian assistance which would help children return to school.

Mohamed Abdiladif, Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, said: 

“Education is so easily dismissed in a crisis as a lower priority, but as a conflict drags on, children’s core learning years pass by – years they can never get back. For some this will mean never finishing high school, for others this will mean never learning to read or write. In all cases the impact is devastating. 

“If the conflict continues, millions of these children will not be able to go back to school, leaving them exposed to immediate and long-term dangers, including displacement, recruitment into armed groups and sexual violence.

“We are focused and committed to ensuring that as many children as possible keep learning in Sudan while the country continues to endure this violent chapter, but the challenge is enormous. Children have already missed years of critical education, with terrible consequences for their long-term well-being. We are incredibly concerned for these children’s futures – and the future of Sudan – if this conflict doesn’t end now.”

Save the Children runs inclusive education programmes in nine states across Sudan, supporting over 400 schools to help children continue learning despite the crisis.

Programmes include school feeding and school gardens and removing barriers to education by providing essential items like notebooks, school supplies, and uniforms. Schools are rehabilitated and equipped with safe water and sanitation facilities. Teachers receive wages and training, including technical and psychosocial support, to help children cope with the trauma of conflict and displacement.

Save the Children has been working in Sudan since 1983 and is currently supporting children and their families across the country, providing health, nutrition, education, child protection, and food security and livelihoods support.

Notes:

• [1] The global Education Cluster is a partnership of 60 NGOs, UN agencies and other partners working to enable a predictable, effective and well-coordinated response that addresses the education concerns of populations affected by humanitarian crises. Save the Children and UNICEF co-lead the Global Education Cluster based in Geneva.

• [2] [3] UNFPA and Education Cluster Data from September 2025 shows that of the 19.4 million school-age children in Sudan who were enrolled in school prior to the conflict, 17 million remain in Sudan. Of these children, some 13 million are out of school. This includes about seven million children who are enrolled but are currently unable to go to school due to conflict or displacement, and six million school-age children aren’t enrolled.  The Education Cluster Data from September 2025 show 45% of schools in Sudan (8,937) have now re-opened.

• [4] Aug 2025. DTM Sudan Return Monitoring Snapshot (06) | Displacement Tracking Matrix

• [5] During its pilot phase, the project focused on training local teachers in literacy, numeracy, and school management, while also developing tailored teaching materials and fostering welcoming, inclusive learning environments. This project makes it possible for families affected by the conflict in Sudan to enrol their children in school, something that was previously out of reach due to financial hardship, offering a sense of stability, hope, and continuity during an otherwise uncertain time Following strong results from the first learning cycle, the program grew rapidly becoming a vital source of support, stability, and opportunity for children whose education had been interrupted.