High price of school supplies in Sudan

The prices of school supplies have sky-rocketed days before the start of the new school year, which begins today.

The residents of a number of states complained of the high prices of school supplies in the new school year. Several listeners told Radio Dabanga that they suffer from critical economic conditions after the holiday season that included Ramadan and Eid El Fitir. “We have consumed all of our limited resources,” a listener explained.

Particularly the prices of uniforms, school bags, pamphlets, textbooks and tuition fees have risen. People therefore appealed to authorities to reduce tuition fees and open exhibitions where school supplies are sold at reduced prices.

In Blue Nile state, a ministerial delegation found that there are no toilets in 111 school buildings, including 18 secondary and 93 basic schools, all at state level.

Abdelaziz Babikir, the representative of the federal Ministry of Education, called for the establishment of toilets in order to reduce the breeding of flies, mosquitoes and other transmitters of diseases. The quality of food and beverages should be monitored, as well as students and pupils washing their hands with soap and water.

Cholera

The National Epidemiological Authority (NEA) and the Democratic Teachers' Association have called on the government to postpone the start of the new school year until the health situation in the country has improved.

The NEA said it considers the opening of schools in the current circumstances a serious risk to the health of the students.

“Full school classes may constitute an additional factor to the spread of the epidemic, in such a way that the government will not be able to control it any more,” the NEA stated, and called on the parents to press the authorities to postpone the opening of the school year.