EDUCATION IN SUDAN

EDUCATION IN SUDAN

Education in Sudan is free and compulsory for children aged 6 to

13 years. Primary education consists of eight years, followed by three years of secondary education. The former educational ladder 6 + 3 + 3 was changed in 1990. The present educational ladder was introduced in 1992 as part of a

comprehensive reform for general education.

The philosophy behind these 11 years of schooling in three stages of general

education was to increase the productive age of the learner and to avoid

unnecessary loading and cramming of the curriculum. The loss of one year was compensated for by increasing the

working days from 180 to 210 throughout the school ladder from preschool to

secondary.

The primary language at all levels is Arabic. Schools are concentrated in urban areas; many in the South and

West have been damaged or destroyed by years of civil war. In

2001 the World Bank estimated that primary enrollment was 46 percent of eligible pupils and 21 percent of

secondary students.

HISTORY OF EDUCATION

The north suffered from shortages of teachers and buildings, but education in the south was even more inadequate and in a much worse situation.Since World War II the demand for education had exceeded Sudan's education resources. At independence in 1956, education accounted for only 15.5% of the Sudanese budget, to support 1,778 primary schools 108 intermediate schools, and 49 government secondary schools. Higher education was limited to the University of Khartoum, except for fewer than 1,000 students sent abroad by wealthy parents or on Government scholarships.

When the Nimeiri-led government took power in 1969, it considered the education system insufficient for the needs of social and economic development. Accordingly, an extensive reorganization was proposed, which would eventually make the new six-year elementary education program compulsory and would pay much more attention to technical and vocational education at all levels.By the late 1970s, the government's education system had been largely reorganized. There were some pre-primary schools, mainly in urban areas. The basic system consisted of a six-year curriculum in primary schools and three-year curriculum in junior secondary schools.

During the 1980s, the government established more schools at all levels and with them, more teacher-training schools, although these were never sufficient to provide adequate staff. But the process was incredibly slow and

was made slower by limited funds and by the inadequate compensation for staff; teachers who could find a market for their skills elsewhere, including places outside Sudan,

did not remain teachers within the Sudanese system.In the mid-1970s, there were four universities, eleven colleges, and twenty-three institutes in Sudan. The universities were in the capital area, and all of the institutions of higher learning were in the Northern

provinces.

Levels of

education

In Khartoum, the capitals of Sudan, there are four main levels of

education.

. It begins in the age of 3-4,

consists of 1-2 grades.

The first grade pupils enter at the age of 6-7 .and it consists of 8

grades, each year there is more academic efforts and main

subjects added plus more school methods improvements. By the 8’Th grade a student is 13–14 years old ready to take the certificate exams and entering

high school.

At this level the school methods add some main academic subjects such as chemistry, biology,

physics, geography, etc... There are three grades in this level. The student’s ages are about 14-15 to

17-18.Higher Education: there are many universities in Sudan such as the University of Khartoum, even foreigners attend universities here, because the

reputation of the universities is very good and the life expenses are low compared to other countries.

After all, the education system in Sudan went through many changes in the late 1980s and early

1990s

Traditionally, girls’ education was frequently provided by a khalwa, or religious school, in which Quran studies were taught. Such schools did not prepare girls for the learning mainstream, from which they were virtually

excluded.Largely through the pioneering work of Sheikh Babar Bari, the government had provided five elementary schools for girls by 1920. Expansion was slow, and it

was only in 1940 that the first intermediate school for girls, the Omdurman Girls' Intermediate School,

opened. By 1955, ten intermediate schools for girls were in existence.

In 1956, the Omdurman Secondary School for Girls, with about 265 students, was the only girls' secondary

school operated by the government. By 1960, 245 elementary schools for girls had been established, but

only 25 junior secondary or general schools and 2 upper-secondary schools.

There were no vocational schools for girls, just a Nurses' Training College enrolling only eleven students, nursing not being regarded by many

Sudanese as a respectable vocation for women.During the 1960s and 1970s, girls' education made considerable gains under the education reforms that provided 1,086 primary schools, 268 intermediate schools, and 52 vocational

schools for girls .This slow development of girls' education was

the product of the country's tradition. Parents of Sudanese girls tended to look upon girls'

schools with suspicion if not fear that they would corrupt the morals of their daughters.

Moreover, preference was given to sons, who by education could advance themselves in

society to the pride and profit of the family.

Higher Education

and Development

As stated before, higher education in Sudan had mirrored the different phases of economic and social change in the country. The nature of the

Sudanese economy was reflected in the planning of higher education. The financial implications of

the economic limbo meant a reduction in technology transfer and staff contacts with the developed world, as well as a severe decline in

resources available for staff post-experience training and development which were This aspect

is very important in a country like Sudan as resources for fundamental and advanced applied research are scarce even in disciplines such as agriculture and veterinary medicine, the two

sectors on which the economy depends. desperately needed in higher education

institutions .

Long term changes which could have added value to the economy by upgrading the

abilities of the work force were ignored and short term policies prevailed. The

improvement of pre-university education and the upgrading of its teaching staff were

completely ignored, especially in primary education, with disastrous cascading effects.

The current government has announced an ambitious programmed of expansion in

higher education. Most of the changes were announced at the end of the higher education conference in March 1990

Some of the well-known universities in Sudan are:

•Al Ahfad University for Women•Al Fashir University

•Al Neelain University•Al Zaiem Alazhari University

•Blue Nile University•Canadian Sudanese University

•International University of Africa•Omdurman Ahlia University

•Sudan University of Science and Technology•University of Khartoum

University of Khartoum:

The roots of the University of Khartoum (U of K) go back to 1898 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum proposed

founding a college in memory of General Gordon. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. Funds for the

proposed college were raised by private subscription, and the plans for the building were drawn by the

Khedive's architect, Fabricus Pasha.The new college, named the Gordon Memorial College, was officially opened in 1902, although it was not until 1903 that the buildings were completed and the first

batch of primary level students were admitted. In 1924 Kitchener School of Medicine was established.

The year 1936 witnessed the beginning of higher education in the Sudan with the establishment of the

School of Law. By 1940 the College included schools of Agriculture, Arts, Law, Science, Engineering and

Veterinary Science. The College was upgraded in 1951 to become Khartoum University College.

Sudan University started as the Khartoum Technical School and School of Commerce. Includes: The School

of Radiology, School of Arts, Khartoum Technical Institute, Shambat Institute of Agriculture, Khartoum Senior Trade School, Institute of Music & Drama and the Higher Institute of Physical Education became

integral parts of the Khartoum Polytechnic Institute in 1975. The need for higher specialized technical

education in Sudan expanded the school into Sudan University of Science and Technology in 1990.

Al Ahfad University

The Ahfad University for Women (AUW) is a private, non-sectarian university for women located in Omdurman,

Sudan. Founded in 1966 by Professor Yusuf Bedri with 23 students in one department, Family Sciences, AUW now has over 5,000 students and offers a five-yea Bachelor’s Degree( Bc.S. or BA) in six undergraduate schools and a

Master’s Degree in two areas.The goal of AUW is to prepare women to assume informed

leadership roles in their families, communities and the nation. AUW works to achieve this goal by offering high

quality instruction with emphasis on strengthening women's roles in national and rural development and

achieving respect for women in Sudanese society. Includes : The School of Health Sciences ,The School of Psychology

and Preschool Education, The School of Management Studies, The School of Medicine

The School of Pharmacy.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

DONE BY: MONA ALRASHIED

LEENA MAGDYMALAZ MOHAMMED

SARAH AHMEDRABAB AZHARI

SHAZA ABDELMONEMMANASIK SALAH