Education Above All (EAA) Foundation condemned the recent bombing of Al Khansa Secondary School for Girls in Sudan, which resulted in at least five deaths and 20 injuries. The shelling comes against the backdrop of escalating violence in Sudan, which has left millions of people displaced.
For the second consecutive year, the majority of Sudanese schools are still shuttered, an EAA statement explained. More than 19mn children continue to be out of school. Since the start of the war in April 2023, more than 110 schools and hospitals have been attacked. Additionally, hundreds of schools are being used as shelters for internally displaced people, which limits access to education even in locations where some schools have partially opened.
Since the conflict began, more than 8.6mn people—roughly 16% of the nation's overall population—have left their homes. Due to their attempts to find safety either within Sudan or in its surrounding countries, Sudan now has the greatest number of internally displaced people worldwide and is on the verge of becoming one of the worst education crises in the world.
According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack’s Education Under Attack 2024 report, the use of explosive weapons in attacks on education, as well as their military use, have increased by 20% compared to 2022 and 2023. In January 2024, Education Above All published a position paper calling for immediate action to end the crisis in Sudan in which an entire generation may lose out on their right to education.
Attacks on education not only present real threats to the learning process, but they contribute to withering economic, political and social conditions. The livelihoods of millions can be put-to-risk when education is attacked.
In addition to impeding the educational process, attacks on education create significant short and long-term consequences and constitute a violation of several international treaties and human rights obligations. EAA is firm in its commitment to providing equitable access to quality education.
As the foundation embarks on the fifth observance of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack on September 9, it calls on the global community to stand united in its efforts to end attacks on education and preserve the fundamental right to education.
