December 20, 2024 (OTTAWA) –  International donors have voiced strong concerns over Sudan’s plan to hold national examinations exclusively in areas controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) later this month, citing significant risks to student safety amid the ongoing conflict. Weeks before the outbreak of war in Sudan in mid-April 2023, more than 570,000 students were preparing to sit for the secondary school exams, equivalent to high school exams and a key requirement for university admission. They remained in limbo for 19 months until the Ministry of Education set December 28th as the date for their commencement. Students from the 2024 cohort will also take the exams in March 2025, and those who could not take the exam are scheduled for later this month. The exams will be held in centres inside and outside the country. About three weeks before the December 28th date, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) decided to prevent students in areas under their control, especially in Darfur, from going to exam centres in safer cities. This decision has further complicated the already challenging situation for students. In response, the Teachers’ Committee called for a truce and temporary safe passages during the exam period, a move …

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