Just two basic schools for 4,500+ students in North Darfur camp

The residents of Kassab camp in North Darfur’s Kutum locality complain about a worsening educational environment.

Speaking to Radio Dabanga from Kassab camp, a parent reported that there are two basic schools in the camp, one for boys and one for girls, for 4,570 registered students, besides one secondary school.

He said that the number of teachers is “very small” compared to the number of students.

“Furthermore, the classrooms are made of straw, which do not provide protection from the rains in the rainy season and the heat in the summer,” he complained.

The parent also criticised “the high tuition fees”. Each student must pay SDG 150 ($22) a year, which is beyond the parents' affordability.

He called on the North Darfur Ministry of Education and humanitarian organisations to intervene to solve the education problem in the camp.

Budget

Sudan spends less than 1.5% of its GDP on education, Sudanese researcher Dr Mohamed El Amin El Tom, told this station in an interview in July.

“The conventional spending on education by developing countries lies around 5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP),” he said. “Tunisia spends 7 per cent of its GDP on education, while Sudan spends between 1 and 1.4 per cent on schooling of its population.”

El Tom further noted that though the government is neglecting the financial part of education, it continues to control the objectives and curricula. “In Sudan, the development of the curricula lies fully in the hands of the authorities. The other stakeholders, the teachers, parents, students, and the society have no say.”