Sudan.. Secondary exams spark controversy over ‘discrimination’



Observers have also raised questions about the fairness of this ExamsEstimates say that about 400,000 students out of 600,000 will not be able to take the exams because of the war that has been going on in the country since mid-April 2023, which has destabilized the educational conditions of millions of students.

And while the Sudanese Ministry of Education confirmed that all necessary measures were taken to make these exams successful, local councils in the regions considered… The fight Holding exams without allowing all students to take them is a form of discrimination that threatens the unity of the country.

Reports also indicated that a number of students who attempted to take exams in safe zones were subject to arrest under the so-called “strange persons” law.

For its part, the Teaching Board said Sudan Holding exams without respecting the demands of inclusion and justice paves the way for the fragmentation of the country and the destruction of its social fabric.

A big controversy

There were conflicting opinions about the safety and fairness of taking the exam under the current circumstances.

The Supreme Committee for Examination Administration of the Ministry of Education in Port Sudan has confirmed the completion of the arrangements and preparations for holding the examination.

Undersecretary of the Ministry Ahmed Al-Khalifa Omar said that the Ministry is completely calm and pointed to the adoption of emergency centers in certain cities for students who were unable to register due to war conditions, emphasizing the readiness of those centers to receive late students even one day before the examination, in order to enable them to take an exam.

He added that the Ministry gave consent for students who did not take this exam to take it on the next date in March 2025, that is, three months after the current exam.

But the Sudanese teachers’ board warned against the move, saying in a statement: “Students Darfur All those who have not left their states, in addition to the students of Gezira State and most of Khartoum State, will not be able to take the certification exams unless they move to military-controlled states, a dangerous journey.”

The statement added: “Continuing education without adhering to the demands of inclusion and justice paves the way for the fragmentation of the country and the destruction of its social fabric.”

As stated in the statement, the insistence on holding exams in light of the current situation places education as one of the “weapons of war and a means to punish students and their parents to stay in their countries.”

The committee called for the creation of favorable conditions to enable all students to sit through the advertisement cease fire During the examination period and respect for the principles of inclusion and fairness.

The official spokesman of the Teachers’ Committee, Sami Al-Bakir, told Sky News Arabia: “The only guarantee for the safety of students and the achievement of justice is to declare a truce during the examination period, the continuation of the war is not guaranteed.”

Al-Bakir held the current government responsible for any risks to which students or supervising teachers may be exposed Exams.

Concerns for the safety of respondents

The fighting is currently spreading to about 70 percent of the country’s regions, including areas that have traditionally been the center of gravity for high school exams, such as the capital. Khartoum Both the state of Gezira and the region of Darfur, whose data show that their share in the total number of people who take exams during the past years was more than 60 percent of the total number of people who take exams annually.

Other areas in White Nile, Sennar, Blue Nile and Kordofan are also exposed to dangerous security conditions that make it very difficult to hold exams.

Out of a total of 18 states in Sudan, it continues study It is currently almost regular in only 5 states: in the north, the Nile River, the Red Sea, Gedaref, and Kassala, but recent weeks have witnessed attacks on several cities in those states, especially Atbara, Merowe, and Shendi in the Nile River and the north, which it also raises concerns about the security of the respondents.

Security and logistical obstacles

Amidst complex security and logistical hurdles, hundreds of thousands of students face great difficulty enrolling in exam venues, some of which are more than a thousand kilometers from student venues, interspersed with violent fighting zones and checkpoints, and there have been reports of dangerous racist practices that affect those who pass by.

In recent weeks, numerous students who tried to reach the exam centers after traveling hundreds of kilometers were arrested, and some of them were sentenced to death and others to prison.

Reports spoke of the arrest of a student, Omar Abdel Hadi, and his sentencing to 5 years in prison in one of the courts in the north of the state after he was arrested when he came from West Kordofan to register for exams.

Abdul Hadi’s brother said on his page at: Facebook His brother was arrested in October on charges of belonging to one of the warring parties, and reports were opened and charges were filed under conditions of sedition against the state. He explained: “My 19-year-old brother has no affiliation with any party. They asked us for official documents and we sent them to the court, and they all prove that he has no connection with any party, but in the end they sentenced him to 5 years in prison.”

In this context, education councils in Darfur have refused to transfer students from regions taking exams outside the country based on their adherence to the right of students to take exams in their regions in light of the current security and economic conditions.

The South Darfur Education Council said: “The future of students and their education cannot be traded for political machinations, as a large proportion of Sudanese are deprived of their academic rights.”





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