School in Sudan

Sudan has a formal school system with preschool education (التعليم قبل المدرسة or رياض الأطفال), primary education (المرحلة الابتدائية), lower secondary education (المرحلة المتوسطة) and upper secondary education (المرحلة الثانوية). The reform structure is designed as approximately two years of preschool, six years of primary school, three years of lower secondary school and three years of upper secondary school. Older references may still use an eight-year basic-education structure followed by three years of secondary education, so the name and organization of a stage can depend on the state and the current operating conditions. Primary education is the main foundation of the system. Lower secondary education is a separate three-year stage in the reformed structure, with implementation and examinations differing across states. Upper secondary education usually follows academic scientific or literary streams. Technical learning belongs in this school topic only when it is part of a formal secondary school; vocational education outside the formal school system is separate. The Sudanese Secondary Certificate (الشهادة الثانوية السودانية) is the national secondary qualification. Primary and intermediate completion certificates are known as الشهادة الابتدائية and الشهادة المتوسطة. The Federal Ministry of Education sets national policy and examination frameworks. The National Curriculum Center at Bakht al-Ruda develops curriculum materials and examination guides. State Ministries of Education handle much of school operation, staffing, enrollment, reopening and primary or intermediate examinations, while localities, schools, parent-teacher associations and school management committees support implementation. No single nationwide catchment or school-choice procedure is reliably established. In practice, families may choose among public, private, boys', girls' or mixed schools where those options exist, but locality, security and available capacity strongly restrict the choice. Transport is not a nationwide entitlement, and travel distance and cost can determine whether a child enrolls or continues attending. Arabic is the main documented language of teaching and examinations, while English is a core or required subject. Secondary subjects can include religious education, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geography, history, biology, computer science, engineering sciences, family sciences, arts and design, French, English literature and Islamic studies. Schools use ongoing assessment and state-level examinations, while the Secondary Certificate follows national examination guidance. The 2025 guide set subject, question-type and scoring requirements for academic candidates, who could take up to seven subjects. More than 274,000 candidates were registered in 2025, including displaced Sudanese candidates in Chad who were allowed to sit the examination. The constitution provides for free and compulsory basic education, and public primary and secondary education is officially intended to be free. Families can nevertheless face costs for learning materials, uniforms, transport, meals or other contributions. Private schools charge fees that vary by state and school. Preschool provision has an educational and school-preparation function, but its availability and regulation are fragmented. Childcare without a recognized education function does not form part of the school system. The education system operates under severe disruption. In 2025, about 17 million children were of school age and about 8 million were out of school. Only 13,005 of 19,395 schools were reported as operational, while 1,928 schools were being used as shelters for internally displaced people or blocked by armed groups. Conflict, displacement, school damage, teacher shortages, unpaid staff, missing materials, overcrowding and safety risks affect attendance and learning. Girls, displaced children, children with disabilities and nomadic children receive particular support attention, although a separate nationwide special-school structure is not reliably documented. Support programs include school grants, learning materials, accelerated or catch-up learning, remedial literacy and numeracy, teacher support, psychosocial services, water and sanitation measures, protection activities and remote learning through television, radio or the Learning Passport. Safe Learning Spaces provide temporary learning and protection settings during crises; Accelerated Learning Programs help learners resume or catch up with education but do not automatically replace a regular school qualification. In 2025, school grants reached 8,031 schools in nine states, learning materials were planned for about 1.6 million children, and 1,431 Safe Learning Spaces served about 454,900 children. UNICEF, the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Education, UNHCR and nongovernmental organizations provide support or financing but are not the school-law authority.