Sudanese refugee students in Chad demand more opportunities in higher education

Sudanese refugee youths in Chad who have obtained a Chadian secondary certificate, have renewed their demand to expand study opportunities in Chadian higher education institutions and any other educational institutions outside Chad.

In a memorandum delivered to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Kounongou camp for refugees from Darfur in eastern Chad on Tuesday, the students demanded the need for opportunities for university studies for all Sudanese refugee students who obtained a Chadian secondary certificate in the camps in eastern Chad.

Among the about 6,000 students, only 1,200 had the opportunity to join Chadian higher education institutions since the refugees began to arrive in Chad in 2004.The memorandum noted that the situation negatively affected the demand of students in the lower grades to register for the new school year.

Camps in eastern Chad host hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees who have fled the violence in Darfur. Some are keen to return to their home country. In May this year, a further 1,850 people fled across the border into Chad during violence in West Darfur.