Lack of Quality Education has Paved the Path to Gender Inequality in Sudan
Women often play a crucial role in bringing a political change, but are usually side-lined during the formal processes that follow. This is especially a trend in most of the parts of Africa.
The protests in Sudan in the spring of 2019 saw women at the forefront. The movement led to the ousting of the al-Bashir regime. As per reports, more than 70 percent of the protestors were women, who raised their voices to drive change and epitomised their resilience and strength. Despite all death and rape threats, and other acts of violence against them, women stood firm and made sure that al-Bashir was ousted. However, the women were never given their rightful place in the new institutions.
Following the success of the movement, Sudanese professionals, scholars and activists convened in London on 9th September 2019 under the aegis of the University of Khartoum Alumni Association of the UK and Ireland, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union UK, and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
During the event, Zainab Bangura, ODI Distinguished Fellow former UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence and Conflict, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Health in Sierra Leone, shared her own experience as a female leader.
“From my experience in my own country, Sierra Leone, and other countries in the continent and the world, women are normally in the forefront of fighting for peace in conflict and post-conflict countries, for democracy during dictatorship, but because it is the men who sit on the table to negotiate peace, lead and dominate the leadership of political parties, they end up being the winners in both cases,” Bangura said.
According to the Women, Peace and Security Index, Sudan ranks at 157 among 167 countries in terms of gender equality. Sudan lags behind majorly in three sectors, employment, financial assets and education.
More than 49 percent of girls are missing out on primary education in Sudan. The country has un-egalitarian views towards women, meaning the rights of women are restricted under the strict Sharia Law of Sudan. The nature of such laws prevent girls from obtaining quality education as the law includes punishment for not wearing religious garb in public and institutionalised discrimination against women.
As per the views of Sudanese educators, the ultimate goal of women should be to become a good housewife and a great mother. Meanwhile the quality of teachers is very low in Sudan in comparison to the rest of the world; there may be up to 110,000 unqualified teachers teaching in Sudan, as 48 percent of teachers in Sudan have only completed primary education.
Moreover, lack of female educators has created the educational institutions more hostile to girls. The whole schooling system in Sudan is explicitly anti-women, it’s very hard for girls in the country to receive an education, and the shortage of out-of-school alternatives really leaves Sudan’s girls in a difficult place. Thus, widening the gender inequality gap further.
