Education in Sudan consists of 11 years of schooling in three stages: primary, middle, and secondary education. Primary education is from ages 6-13 and is compulsory. The education system has undergone reforms, changing from a 6+3+3 system to an 8+3 system. Some of Sudan's major universities include the University of Khartoum, the oldest and largest university, as well as Sudan University of Science and Technology, Ahfad University for Women, and Blue Nile University. Girls' education has expanded since the early 20th century but was historically limited.

2. Education in Sudan is free and
compulsory for children aged 6 to 13
years. Primary education consists of
eight years, followed by three years
of secondary education. The former
educational ladder 6 + 3 + 3 was
changed in 1990. The present
educational ladder was introduced in
1992 as part of a comprehensive
reform for general education.

3. The philosophy behind these 11 years of
schooling in three stages of general
education was to increase the productive age
of the learner and to avoid unnecessary
loading and cramming of the curriculum. The
loss of one year was compensated for by
increasing the working days from 180 to 210
throughout the school ladder from preschool
to secondary.

4. The primary language at all levels is
Arabic. Schools are concentrated in
urban areas; many in the South and
West have been damaged or destroyed
by years of civil war. In 2001 the World
Bank estimated that primary enrollment
was 46 percent of eligible pupils and 21
percent of secondary students.

5. HISTORY OF
EDUCATION

9. In Khartoum, the capitals of Sudan, there
are four main levels of education.

10. . It begins in the
age of 3-4,
consists of 1-2
grades.

11. The first grade pupils
enter at the age of 6-7
.and it consists of 8
grades, each year there
is more academic efforts
and main subjects added
plus more school methods
improvements. By the
8’Th grade a student is
13–14 years old ready to
take the certificate
exams and entering high
school.

12. At this level the school methods add some main
academic subjects such as chemistry, biology, physics,
geography, etc... There are three grades in this level.
The student’s ages are about 14-15 to 17-18.
Higher Education: there are many universities in Sudan
such as the University of Khartoum, even foreigners
attend universities here, because the reputation of
the universities is very good and the life expenses are
low compared to other countries.
After all, the education system in Sudan went through
many changes in the late 1980s and early 1990s

15. Traditionally, girls’ education was frequently provided by a
khalwa, or religious school, in which Quran studies were
taught. Such schools did not prepare girls for the learning
mainstream, from which they were virtually excluded.
Largely through the pioneering work of Sheikh Babar Bari,
the government had provided five elementary schools for
girls by 1920. Expansion was slow, and it was only in 1940
that the first intermediate school for girls, the Omdurman
Girls' Intermediate School, opened. By 1955, ten
intermediate schools for girls were in existence.
In 1956, the Omdurman Secondary School for Girls, with
about 265 students, was the only girls' secondary school
operated by the government. By 1960, 245 elementary
schools for girls had been established, but only 25 junior
secondary or general schools and 2 upper-secondary
schools.

16. There were no vocational schools for girls, just a
Nurses' Training College enrolling only eleven
students, nursing not being regarded by many
Sudanese as a respectable vocation for women.
During the 1960s and 1970s, girls' education made
considerable gains under the education reforms
that provided 1,086 primary schools, 268
intermediate schools, and 52 vocational schools for
girls .
This slow development of girls' education was the
product of the country's tradition. Parents of
Sudanese girls tended to look upon girls' schools
with suspicion if not fear that they would corrupt
the morals of their daughters. Moreover,
preference was given to sons, who by education
could advance themselves in society to the pride
and profit of the family.

17. Higher
Education
and
Development

18. As stated before, higher education in Sudan had
mirrored the different phases of economic and social
change in the country. The nature of the Sudanese
economy was reflected in the planning of higher
education. The financial implications of the economic
limbo meant a reduction in technology transfer and
staff contacts with the developed world, as well as a
severe decline in resources available for staff post-
experience training and development which were This
aspect is very important in a country like Sudan as
resources for fundamental and advanced applied
research are scarce even in disciplines such as
agriculture and veterinary medicine, the two sectors
on which the economy depends. desperately needed in
higher education institutions.

19. Long term changes which could have added value
to the economy by upgrading the abilities of the
work force were ignored and short term policies
prevailed. The improvement of pre-university
education and the upgrading of its teaching
staff were completely ignored, especially in
primary education, with disastrous cascading
effects.
The current government has announced an
ambitious programmed of expansion in higher
education. Most of the changes were announced
at the end of the higher education conference
in March 1990

20. Some of the well-known universities in Sudan
are:
•Al Ahfad University for Women
•Al Fashir University
•Al Neelain University
•Al Zaiem Alazhari University
•Blue Nile University
•Canadian Sudanese University
•International University of Africa
•Omdurman Ahlia University
•Sudan University of Science and Technology
•University of Khartoum

21. University of Khartoum:

22. The roots of the University of Khartoum (U of K) go back to
1898 when Lord Kitchener of Khartoum proposed founding a
college in memory of General Gordon. It is the largest and
oldest university in Sudan. Funds for the proposed college
were raised by private subscription, and the plans for the
building were drawn by the Khedive's architect, Fabricus
Pasha.
The new college, named the Gordon Memorial College, was
officially opened in 1902, although it was not until 1903 that
the buildings were completed and the first batch of primary
level students were admitted.
In 1924 Kitchener School of Medicine was established. The
year 1936 witnessed the beginning of higher education in the
Sudan with the establishment of the School of Law. By 1940
the College included schools of Agriculture, Arts, Law,
Science, Engineering and Veterinary Science. The College
was upgraded in 1951 to become Khartoum University
College.

24. Sudan University started as the Khartoum Technical
School and School of Commerce. Includes: The School of
Radiology, School of Arts, Khartoum Technical Institute,
Shambat Institute of Agriculture, Khartoum Senior Trade
School, Institute of Music & Drama and the Higher
Institute of Physical Education became integral parts of
the Khartoum Polytechnic Institute in 1975. The need for
higher specialized technical education in Sudan expanded
the school into Sudan University of Science and
Technology in 1990.

26. The Ahfad University for Women (AUW) is a private, non-
sectarian university for women located in Omdurman, Sudan.
Founded in 1966 by Professor Yusuf Bedri with 23 students in
one department, Family Sciences, AUW now has over 5,000
students and offers a five-yea Bachelor’s Degree( Bc.S. or BA)
in six undergraduate schools and a Master’s Degree in two
areas.
The goal of AUW is to prepare women to assume informed
leadership roles in their families, communities and the nation.
AUW works to achieve this goal by offering high quality
instruction with emphasis on strengthening women's roles in
national and rural development and achieving respect for
women in Sudanese society. Includes : The School of Health
Sciences ,The School of Psychology and Preschool Education,
The School of Management Studies, The School of Medicine
The School of Pharmacy.