Over 13 million Sudanese children out of school amid ongoing conflict
Large numbers of students remain out of school because of mass displacement, limited teaching staff, lack of learning materials, and restricted access.
As the school year begins in much of the world, the majority of Sudanese children remain without classrooms to attend, either at home or in temporary shelters, according to Save the Children.
Recent analysis from the Global Education Cluster shows that 13 million out of 17 million school-age children in Sudan are not in school, reflecting one of the most severe education emergencies globally.
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This includes seven million children who are officially enrolled but cannot attend due to ongoing conflict or displacement, and six million who are not enrolled at all, facing the possibility of never accessing education.
All 13 million children, more than the population of Belgium, have missed at least a full year of school since April 2023.
Even before the outbreak of violence, nearly seven million children in Sudan were already excluded from the education system because of poverty and instability.
In recent months, just under half of schools have reopened, allowing around four million children to resume learning.
However, large numbers of students remain out of school because of mass displacement, limited teaching staff, lack of learning materials, and restricted access.
Approximately 55 per cent of schools are still closed, with about one in ten serving as temporary shelters for displaced families.
The risk of flooding in September and October, with higher-than-usual rainfall, threatens to damage school buildings further and force families and teachers to relocate.
10-year-old Razan from Khartoum had her education interrupted when conflict forced her family to flee. After settling in a village near Sinjai, southeast of the capital, she returned to school:
"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 enduring one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, with the highest number of displaced people and some areas facing famine.
By July 2025, nearly 9.9 million individuals had been forced to leave their homes.
Save the Children is urging the global community to push for a ceasefire to allow safe access for humanitarian aid and to dramatically expand support that could help children return to school.
"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,” Mohamed Abdiladif, Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, said.
He, however, stated that Save the Children is 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,” he added.
Save the Children supports inclusive education programs in nine states, reaching over 400 schools.
The programs provide school meals, school gardens, and essential learning materials such as notebooks and uniforms.
Schools are also rehabilitated and equipped with safe water and sanitation, while teachers receive training, wages, and psychosocial support to help children cope with trauma caused by conflict and displacement.
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