‘Sudan spends less than 1.5% of GDP on education’

The Sudanese government has lifted its hand from education in terms of spending, says Dr Mohamed El Amin El Tom, a mathematician and lecturer at various Sudanese universities.

In an interview Radio Dabanga’s Milafaat Sudaniya broadcast today, El Tom said that at least 20 per cent of the state budget should be allocated to education.

“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.

“Most countries are very careful regarding the development or adjustments of the objectives of education and the school curricula, as not to influence the minds of the students. 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.”

According to the researcher, “The government does not want a political, economic, and cultural transition in Sudan, so it leaves education as it is.”