This report is issued against the backdrop of an unprecedented national crisis Sudan has been experiencing since the outbreak of war on 15 April 2023. The education system has collapsed across most conflict-affected states, transforming the right to education from a constitutional and international obligation into a fragile aspiration on the brink of disappearance, particularly in rural and marginalized areas. The Farouk area—located north of Kutum Locality in North Darfur State, approximately 40 kilometers from the town of Kutum—stands as a stark illustration of this sustained collapse.
The suspension of education in Farouk does not represent a temporary disruption of schooling; rather, it reflects a profound crisis that strikes at the very core of children’s futures and the fabric of the community as a whole. It directly threatens the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. As the war continues, the risks surrounding education in this area have intensified to an unprecedented degree, manifested in the complete interruption of learning, severe deterioration of educational infrastructure, and the ongoing depletion of qualified teaching staff.
Since April 2023, schooling has ceased in the majority of schools in the area due to security conditions and the acute economic collapse affecting both families and teachers alike, in addition to the widespread migration of educational personnel in search of safety or livelihood opportunities. In 2023, the Farouk Emergency Room made serious efforts to reopen schools and resume the educational process; however, these initiatives were thwarted by objective constraints, including the fragility of the overall state situation, the inability of the local community to bear the costs of education amid economic hardship, the shortage of teachers, and legitimate concerns raised by parents regarding the feasibility of sustaining education during an active armed conflict.
In 2024, natural disasters further compounded the crisis, as heavy rains and flooding caused extensive damage to school buildings, including classrooms, teachers’ rooms, sanitation facilities, offices, and storage areas, rendering several schools unfit for use. Despite these challenges, local initiatives did not cease. The Farouk Emergency Room developed a pragmatic plan to sustain learning, contingent upon the availability of external support, focusing on the teaching of core subjects—Arabic language, mathematics, Islamic education, and English—as the minimum necessary curriculum to maintain children’s educational continuity.
Prolonged school closures carry grave risks, including increased rates of school dropout and the likelihood that many students will never return to classrooms, particularly among the poorest and most vulnerable children who have already been forced into precarious living conditions as a result of the conflict. Accordingly, safeguarding the right to education cannot be the responsibility of a single actor; it requires urgent coordination among teachers, parents, local communities, and humanitarian organizations to mitigate the devastating consequences of prolonged educational disruption.
In this regard, the Darfur Victims Support Organization calls upon international and humanitarian organizations, charitable associations, and in particular UNICEF, to intervene urgently to support the educational process in the Farouk area and surrounding communities. This support should include the provision of textbooks, the payment of teachers’ salaries and incentives, the rehabilitation and maintenance of school facilities, and the continuation of education in the safest possible environment. The Organization further stresses the necessity of integrating psychosocial support for both students and teachers into any educational response, given the profound psychological impacts of war, displacement, and prolonged instability.
Education in conflict settings is neither a luxury nor a secondary activity; it is a critical protection tool, essential for mitigating the effects of conflict on children, supporting their psychological and social recovery, and preventing the loss of an entire generation deprived of its most basic rights. Equally indispensable is the protection of teachers’ well-being and economic security, which constitutes a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainability of any meaningful educational process.
Key Data on Schools in the Farouk Area and Its Surroundings
The area includes nine schools that are either operational or partially suspended, with a total enrollment of 3,362 students, supported by 81 teachers and 43 auxiliary staff, distributed as follows:
– Farouk Mixed Primary School (654 students, 13 teachers, 5 staff)
– Farouk Intermediate School (159 students, 8 teachers, no staff)
– Farouk Boys’ Secondary School (390 students, 12 teachers)
– Farouk Girls’ Secondary School (410 students, 6 teachers, 6 staff)
– Al-Wifaq Mixed Primary School (650 students, 12 teachers, 5 staff)
– Al-Shoubani Mixed Primary School (460 students, 16 teachers, 4 staff)
– Al-Shoubani Intermediate School (150 students, only 2 teachers, no staff)
– Darou Mixed Primary School (320 students, 4 teachers, 5 staff)
– Darou Intermediate School (169 students, 4 teachers, 5 staff)
Conclusion and General Outlook
The future of thousands of children in the Farouk area now hinges on the speed and scale of the humanitarian response and its ability to move from limited assistance to comprehensive and coordinated intervention. The continuation of education—even at its most basic level—represents the last line of defense against ignorance, violence, and the loss of an entire generation deprived of its fundamental rights. From this standpoint, the Darfur Victims Advocacy Organization affirms that investing in education today is an investment in peace and stability tomorrow, and that any delay in supporting this vital sector will incur profound human and social costs that cannot be remedied at a later stage.
https://www.tiktok.com/@darfur_victims_support/video/7589576805011557644
