A young student stands to answer a question in class. Sudan. Credit: GPE

Partner since:

Total grant support: US$178,739,370

Grant eligibility:

  • System capacity
  • System transformation

Education sector plan

Objectives: Access to quality preschool; quality and retention in basic and secondary education; basic literacy programs; learning in secondary education.

Other key documents

Coordinating agency: UNESCO

GPE Team lead: Esohe Joan Eigbike

Supporting education continuity in Sudan

Following the coup in October 2021, the local education group invoked the GPE operational framework for effective support in fragile and conflict-affected contexts, leading to exclusion of government and de-facto authorities from the group.

Persistent challenges in improving learning outcomes, expanding access for out-of-school children, providing conducive learning environments and strengthening the education sector structures have been exacerbated by the ongoing armed conflict since April 2023, disrupting the education of 12.6 million primary and secondary school-age children, with the majority of teachers unpaid and some schools being used as emergency shelters for displaced people.

In August 2023, GPE approved accelerated funding of $20 million to help more than 285,000 children continue to learn even during the crisis. Two grants of $10 million each are implemented by UNICEF and Save the Children, along with Sudanese nongovernmental organizations.

The funds are helping deliver urgent and vital education support to children in selected localities in 5 states significantly affected by displacement of people: White Nile, Kassala, River Nile, Sennar and South Kordofan.

Partners are creating safe learning spaces, providing psychosocial services to children, improving water and sanitation for boys and girls, distributing teaching and learning materials, including books and games to improve the children’s literacy and numeracy, training teachers and volunteers and engaging communities to support the schools.

An existing grant of $41.9 million, led by the World Bank, is being reprogrammed to support resilience and learning continuity. The grant will provide funds to schools in states that are reopening them, with priorities selected with the involvement of parent-teacher associations and community members. These schools will also benefit from teacher training and materials to support remedial learning for children.

The grant will also provide alternative learning opportunities, including digital and offline radio and TV, for children affected by the conflict who are not able to attend school.

Education stakeholders in the Sudan local education group are working on a Transitional Education Plan for 2024-2026, to support coherence and prioritization of education support, strengthen coordination and enhance monitoring of key results.

Result story

Sudan: Building the foundation for a strong education system

  • GPE supported the government of Sudan to provide access to education for some of the country’s most disadvantaged and remote communities.
  • With GPE’s support, the Sudanese government made strides in strengthening sector planning and management as well as improved the learning environment by building classrooms, training teachers, strengthening systems and distributing textbooks.
  • GPE funding also helped the Ministry of Education to conduct the first national assessment of early grade learning.

Grants

(data as of May 09, 2024)

 
  • Type: System capacity

    Years: 2024

    Allocation: US$100,000

    Utilization: 0

    Grant agent: UNESCO

  • Type: Accelerated funding

    Years: 2023 - 2025

    Allocation: US$10,000,000

    Utilization: US$1,419,384

    Grant agent: UNICEF

  • Type: Accelerated funding

    Years: 2023 - 2025

    Allocation: US$10,000,000

    Utilization: US$721,209

    Grant agent: SCNORWAY

  • Type: Program implementation and Multiplier

    Years: 2020 - 2025

    Allocation: US$52,620,000

    Utilization: US$10,208,939

    Grant agent: WB

Civil society engagement

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting the Sudanese Coalition for Education for All (SCEFA) for the 2020-2023 period. This builds on previous support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).

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