Opening Omdurman schools.. Between parents’ fears, teachers’ reservations and the ministry’s insistence

Report – Amir Abdel Majid

A decision that some in Khartoum considered sudden but happy, while others considered it illogical and inconsistent with the reality they live here in Khartoum, which created sharp divisions between those who support the step and fear that their children’s future will be lost and those who see it as a political move that may expose their children to death because the shells that fall on people’s heads in Karari, for example, is the only area that is witnessing some stability and where the Khartoum State government and its executive bodies are present.
A year lost :
Ministry of Education, Khartoum State, had issued a statement announcing its intention to resume the 2023-2024 academic year, and said in a statement that, in order not to waste another year on students, it saw the need to start resuming the academic year after ensuring that obstacles were removed as much as possible, according to a gradual time schedule that takes into consideration the need not to touch the shelters in Karari locality, considering that preserving lives and family stability is more important than anything else.
It added (Accordingly, and after consulting with the State Security Committee and the state Government Council of Ministers, the State Government Council of Ministers decided in its session No. (9) dated 6/3/2024 AD to resume the 2023-2024 academic year by adopting a gradual policy in resuming the academic year according to three stages that it specified and begins after the Eid al-Adha holiday, and specified the schools that will start studying, and advised the state’s students in other states to review the supervisors of the academic treatment program to determine the place of study in the city concerned, and said that Khartoum state students in places with security conditions will be dealt with (online) according to the program designed by The Ministry.
Security conditions :

Before the ink of the statement issued by Dr. Qarib Allah Mohamed Ahmad, the Director General of the Ministry of Education in the state, had dried, the Teachers Committee came out to ridicule the ministry’s statement, describing it as “inappropriate” and “shameful and ridiculous” because it lacked, according to them, the priorities of safety and security for students and teachers in light of the current raging war. It added that the decision to resume studies does not take into account the security conditions, especially after the increase in the number of victims as a result of the random shelling. Also, talking about studying via the Internet is unrealistic because the state is witnessing fluctuations and problems in communications and electricity, which makes the matter unfeasible to implement.
A big risk :
Although the statement of the Teachers Committee did not mention a position of not participating in the educational process if the ministry insists on opening its schools on the specified date after Eid al-Adha, Magdi Mohamed Nour, a teacher in primary schools, said that he will not go to any school to risk his life and the lives of the students, stressing that what the ministry is talking about is in fact a political act only because the situation is completely unsafe and the school could receive shells at any moment that could kill students and teachers.
He added (these people seem to be speaking from another planet and do not know that we are here in war zones where military operations have not stopped, so you can expect anything at any moment), and he continued (this is a big risk and a crime that we will not participate in, and this is my opinion and the opinion of most of my colleagues in Khartoum who I have communicated with), the same opinion was expressed by Najia Abdul Rahim, a primary school teacher, who confirmed that teachers want to return to schools today before tomorrow because our children will lose their future with time, but this matter is ultimately linked to the security situation.
We must secure a stable climate before opening schools), and in contrast to these, there are those who call for opening schools for specific days so that the students’ years are not wasted and Among them is Samir Nouri, the supervisor of one of the schools destroyed by Janjaweed shells in Old Omdurman. He said, “Although I agree with most of the teachers’ opinions about the security situation, I am in favor of students returning to classrooms, even for a few days, three days a week, for example, so that they do not waste years and lose their future, because students in other safe states are currently studying. Therefore, we must give Khartoum students the opportunity and not restrict their future.”
He added, “The danger is present and ongoing even when they are in their homes. What is the difference between their presence in their homes and their presence in the classrooms?
In any case, the shells can reach here and there. Also, according to my opinion, the situation is better now and the schools that have been announced are somewhat fortified and safe.”
Fears of the shells :

Just as the teachers’ views differed, the parents’ views also differed between those who see it as a good opportunity so that their children do not lose their right to education and those who see that having a large number of children in the classrooms is dangerous and unacceptable in light of the shells falling on Karari. Saadeddin Al-Maqbool says that he will not send his children to classrooms with zinc roofs, if a bullet hits them it will reach his children because the ministry said they should go to school, and he added (This is an irresponsible decision.
It is true that we know very well that no place here is completely fortified, but at least the well-built places are more protected. Are these schools well-built? These are schools that if shrapnel falls in them it will kill most of the children. We will not send our children to die).
While Ezz El-Din Awad, a resident in Al-Thawra, believes that the proposal to set school days is a good solution, affirming that keeping students at home while their peers in the states are studying is very frustrating.
He added (A year and another have been lost and we are almost losing our certainty that the war will stop, which makes us welcome the decision to return our children to school. I believe that the ministry and the state government have plans to deal with the security problems, otherwise they would not have announced the resumption of study.