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By Chetanya Sarraf
August 8, 2026, 12: 46 AM
Sudan Education Crisis: India Calls for Action at UN
India has raised concerns over the worsening Sudan education crisis at the United Nations, calling for urgent international action and strict accountability for attacks targeting schools and educational infrastructure.
India highlighted the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict on children and emphasized that educational institutions must remain protected during armed conflicts. The issue has become increasingly serious as violence and displacement continue to disrupt access to education across Sudan.
According to UNICEF’s latest Sudan situation report, around 16 to 17 million school-aged children are estimated to be in Sudan, with approximately 8 million currently out of school. More than 8,000 schools remain closed, while hundreds have been used as shelters or occupied by armed groups.
India Calls for Accountability
India urged the international community to take stronger measures against those responsible for attacks on educational infrastructure. The appeal reflects the broader principle that schools and other civilian facilities should be protected during armed conflicts.
India’s intervention at the UN also underlined the need for accountability when attacks deliberately or recklessly put children, teachers, and educational facilities at risk.
The call comes as Sudan continues to face one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises following the conflict that began in April 2023.
Conflict Has Disrupted Education
The fighting has severely affected Sudan’s education system. Schools have been damaged, closed, occupied, or converted into shelters for displaced families.
UNICEF reported that more than half of Sudan’s school-aged children were out of school in its latest assessment. The situation is particularly severe in Darfur, where more than 70% of children are not attending school and more than 80% of schools remain closed.
For children who have already lost homes or been displaced multiple times, the disruption to education creates additional risks and uncertainty.
Children Face a Growing Education Crisis
The impact of the conflict extends far beyond missed classes. Prolonged school closures can affect children’s learning, emotional wellbeing, social development, and future employment opportunities.
UNICEF has warned that children in Sudan are simultaneously facing displacement, hunger, malnutrition, disease outbreaks, violence, and limited access to essential services.
If authorities do not restore safe learning opportunities, the prolonged education disruption could affect an entire generation.
Schools Used as Shelters
One of the major challenges is the use of schools as shelters for internally displaced people or their occupation by armed actors.
UNICEF’s 2025 report recorded nearly 1,928 schools still being used as shelters or occupied by armed groups at the end of that year, although this represented an improvement from more than 3,000 schools at the end of 2024.
While schools can provide emergency shelter during displacement, their continued occupation prevents children from returning to regular education.
Education Recovery Remains Difficult
Restoring Sudan’s education system will require more than simply reopening school buildings. Teachers need salaries and support, classrooms require repairs, and students need books, learning materials, transportation, and safe spaces.
UNICEF reported that more than half of teachers in some affected areas remained unpaid, making the restoration of education particularly difficult.
Humanitarian organizations have therefore been working to establish temporary learning spaces and alternative education programmes for children who cannot yet return to conventional schools.
Efforts to Keep Children Learning
Despite the enormous challenges, education partners have continued efforts to provide learning opportunities.
UNICEF and its partners reached millions of children and adolescents through formal and non-formal education programmes in 2025. Safe Learning Spaces, temporary classrooms, learning materials, teacher support, and digital education programmes have helped some children continue their studies despite the conflict.
Digital learning has also become increasingly important in areas where conventional schools cannot operate safely.
International Support Is Essential
India’s call at the UN comes at a time when international support remains critical for Sudan’s humanitarian response.
Education must address wider humanitarian needs. Children who lack food, healthcare, safe housing, and protection are also less likely to attend school regularly.
International organizations and governments therefore face the challenge of supporting education while simultaneously addressing displacement, food insecurity, healthcare shortages, and protection concerns.
Long-Term Impact on Sudan's Future
The education crisis could have long-term consequences for Sudan’s economic and social development. A generation that misses years of schooling may face difficulties entering higher education and the workforce later in life.
Education also provides children with stability and a sense of normalcy during periods of conflict. Safe schools can serve as spaces where children receive not only academic instruction but also psychosocial support and protection.
Restoring education should therefore remain an important part of Sudan’s recovery and reconstruction plans.
India's Broader Message at the UN
India’s intervention highlights the need to protect civilian infrastructure during conflicts and hold those responsible for attacks on vital humanitarian facilities accountable.
The call for international action also highlights the need for countries to work collectively to protect children’s rights and ensure that armed conflicts do not permanently deprive young people of education.
As the Sudan conflict continues, restoring safe access to classrooms will remain one of the most important challenges facing humanitarian agencies and international partners.
What Happens Next?
The immediate priority is to create safe conditions for children to return to education. This includes reopening schools where security allows, repairing damaged facilities, supporting teachers, providing learning materials, and establishing temporary learning spaces where schools remain inaccessible.
International pressure and humanitarian assistance will also be important in preventing further attacks on educational facilities.
The longer the disruption continues, the more difficult it may become to bring children back into the education system.
Conclusion
The Sudan Education Crisis has reached a critical stage, with millions of children unable to attend school because of conflict, displacement, damaged infrastructure, and insecurity. India has called for urgent international action and strict accountability over attacks on educational facilities.
UNICEF data highlights the scale of the crisis, with around 8 million children out of school and thousands of schools affected. Protecting schools, supporting teachers, and restoring safe learning opportunities will be essential to prevent the conflict from creating a lost generation of Sudanese children.
Source: ANI
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