Christian Comboni school to be removed in Omdurman, Sudan

Khartoum State authorities have decided to remove the Christian Comboni basic school in the Umbadda district in Omdurman, the twin-city of Khartoum. The Comboni basic school is located in Umbadda’s sub district 41 at Mashrou El Lemoun. It was established in 1981 in the southern part of the sub district, and moved to its current location at Mashrou El Lemoun in 1995, a member of the Parents’ Council of the school explained to Radio Dabanga. The Parents’ Council of the school had requested the local government to cancel the decision, not only because the level of teaching at the overcrowded public schools is much lower, but also Christian education is in general not offered at the public schools. The Khartoum State government did not respond to the request. The parent indicated that the importance of the Comboni school lies in the fact that it offers basic education to Christian students from various neighbourhoods in Omdurman. The school houses 470 students, all originating from the war-torn Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan. There are 16 teachers working at the school, all of them Nuba. In the school year 2012-2013, the success rate of its students exceeded more than 90 percent.   The Comboni schools are named after Daniel Comboni (1831-1881), an Italian missionary who lived and worked in Sudan for several years. The Comboni Missionaries Institute he established in 1867, set up schools in Sudan, South Sudan, and Egypt, where students are accepted regardless of their religious background. File photo: Children and their teacher at the Holy Spirit Save the Saveable School, Omdurman (acnuk.org) Related:Sudanese Church of Christ building bulldozed (20 February 2014)‘Sudan security systematically targeting Nuba Christians’ –report (14 March 2013)