Non-Formal Education as a Survival Pathway: What’s Working—and What Must Change—in Sudan
This piece is based on the forthcoming report "Pathways to learning recovery in Sudan: A review of and recommendations for non-formal education in Sudan"* which was implemented by education development trust and funded by FCDO through its Scaling Access and Learning in Education (SCALE) programme.
Introduction
Sudan is living through an education emergency on an extraordinary scale. As of September 2025, about 12.3 million of an estimated 17 million school‑age children and adolescents (around 73%) had no access to education. In this context, non‑formal education (NFE) is a survival pathway. Yet documented NFE provision is reaching only about 1–2% of children who have lost access to formal education.
Good practices to celebrate (and improve)
The research scope undertaken through SCALE enabled the identification of several best practices in non-formal education that the education community in Sudan can both celebrate and leverage for improved NFE programming.
Well-being and basic literacy are mainstreamed
Many programmes integrate socioemotional learning and psychosocial support, which is essential in a context of trauma and disruption, alongside basic literacy.
Female inclusion is visible in programme targets and participation
Many programmes set participation targets of 50%+ for girls, and reported enrolment patterns suggest strong female inclusion in NFE cohorts (53%). However, adolescent males are underrepresented.
Some quality levers are in place
Nationally, NFE facilitator-to-learner ratios are fantastic (1:16), and female facilitators serve as a pull factor for access and retention for girls. However, this national level ratio hides notable variability at the state level, which is significant (ranging from 1:2 in Northern state to 1:175 in White Nile state). Additionally, information about facilitator support (such as training, pay, qualifications, and displacement impacts) is limited. What is known, however, is concerning. It indicates that facilitator remuneration and training have not been prioritised despite being among the strongest drivers of learning quality and learner wellbeing.
Changes that need to happen now
Learner profiling that forces investment in equity
The least visible learners in Sudan appear to be the most excluded: children with disabilities, non-native Arabic language speakers, adolescents (especially boys), and those in hard‑to‑reach areas. Inclusion requires targeted design (such as language support, disability identification/referrals, accessible materials). NFE programme planning must move beyond a single “out‑of‑school” label to distinguish learners by various elements of their identity. This includes duration of exclusion from formal education, age, displacement, language, disability, and geography. This differentiation then drives the type of NFE programming support they need. Only then can NFE programmes be impactful. This approach forces accountability in the sector, shifting from “who we can reach” to “how do we reach those who most need support.”
Learning options that value both formal education and market-oriented pathways
The preponderance of NFE programmes in Sudan supports formal-education-facing pathways aimed at certified reintegration (reaching 99% of NFE enrolees). However, older adolescents and youth constitute a dominant out‑of‑school cohort (55%+), yet TVET and other skills-focused NFE options are scarce. This formal education focus, at the exclusion of the majority in need, ignores evidence on meeting learners where they are and where they are likely to go.
An updated Alternative Learning Programme for the realities of the current crisis.
The current Alternative Learning Programme, developed in the early 2000s in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, is no longer fit for purpose. While well-conceived for nomadic populations, it no longer meets the needs of learners who have been disconnected from formal education for multiple years due to conflict and displacement. A transition to a competency‑based model, incorporating flexible pacing and integrated wellbeing, is recommended, particularly for older learners and those unlikely to return to formal school in the near term.
Community-owned, low-tech learning pathways for equitable NFE in Sudan
Sudan’s non‑formal education response continues to place a strong emphasis on in‑person delivery, which can limit reach in remote, insecure, and non-SAF-controlled areas. While distance‑learning modalities are in place, their effectiveness is constrained by requirements for digital access and digital literacy, which remain unevenly distributed and are less accessible for many of the most marginalised learners. To close these gaps, the sector can leverage strong evidence supporting hyper-local, community-based, learner-driven learning spaces and flexible schedules to improve safety, enrolment, and retention. Low-tech options supported by facilitation are sustainable and accessible. These include printed and shared materials and radio.
Harmonisation across the education system
The mapping’s most actionable push is for a shared progression model—common learning outcomes and competency frameworks, clear entry points, transition “gates,” and portability across multiple geographic displacements and providers. This model is needs responsive, since learners are and remain on the move, transiting through different service provision areas and with changing needs. A better harmonised NFE sector is only possible with improved taxonomy, information sharing and, thus, interoperability.
A strengthened evidence ecosystem
A sustainable and impactful evidence ecosystem informs sustainable and impactful education service delivery. Addressing four persistent evidence gaps will enhance the evidence base that drives programme design. These are learner profiles, learning facilitator profiles, programme characteristics, and outcomes. This can be done through a) MEAL investments that prioritise (and require) equity-based reporting; b) minimum and shared standards for data sourcing, storage, and management to improve validity and reliability; c) triangulation across sources rather than single‑source estimates; d) stronger, consistent learning and outcome tracking; e) localised data ownership and ethically used data mining.
Reflection
Sudan’s NFE programmes are laudable in their weaving of basic literacy, wellbeing, and gender inclusion. Building on this foundation, clearer learner profiling and more inclusive, responsive programmes that meet learners where they are will enable NFE programmes to reach more in-need learners with higher-quality options. The next leap is coherence; harmonised yet differentiated learning pathways and programmes backed by an ethical, locally grounded evidence ecosystem. In an increasingly resource-constrained funding ecosystem, ignoring these necessary changes will lead to inefficiencies in programme design and delivery. More importantly, it will signal a shirking of responsibilities toward the nearly 73% of children who are and have been out of school for years.
*Steele, J., Hamza, R., Hewison, M., & Bonanomi, S. (2026). Pathways to learning recovery in Sudan: A review of and recommendations for non-formal education in Sudan. education development trust and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
About the Authors
Dr Lisa Walker is an education specialist with 15+ years’ experience supporting children and teachers in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. She has led and supported education programming across Sudan, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Jordan. As an Education Adviser to the UK FCDO through Palladium’s HSOT, she strengthened technical assistance, promoting conflict‑sensitive, inclusive systems, teacher development, and continuity of quality learning in Sudan.
Rana Hamza is a child rights and protection specialist with over 13 years of experience supporting education system strengthening in fragile and conflict affected contexts, with a particular focus on Sudan. Her work centres on applied research, policy analysis, and technical assistance to promote inclusive and equitable access to quality learning, particularly for crisis affected children and youth. Rana currently serves as Research Analyst and National Expert for the FCDO funded SCALE Initiative, supporting the mapping and analysis of Sudan’s non formal education landscape. Her work supports the alignment and harmonisation of NFE interventions with national priorities, generating evidence based recommendations to strengthen system resilience and ensure continuity of learning. Previously, as Child Rights Governance Specialist with Save the Children International in Sudan, she provided technical oversight for large scale education programmes. Her work ensured conflict sensitive programme design grounded in robust child rights situation analysis. Rana has a strong track record of bridging research, policy, and practice to support adaptive education systems in crisis settings.
Jen Steele is a senior education specialist with 20+ years of experience. She specialises in providing advisory services to governments and UN agencies to facilitate equitable pathways to quality learning. She has designed, implemented, and evaluated education programmes across 40+ countries, more than half of which were crisis-affected. She served as Team Lead for the FCDO-funded SCALE Sudan research on non-formal education and learning recovery, overseeing mixed-methods research and developing actionable recommendations. Jen has led equitas education LLC since 2016.
Nicky Miles is a senior educationalist with extensive strategic and policy management experience shaping educational systems and processes at local, regional national and international level. She has a wealth of experience successfully leading schools, improving learning outcomes, developing and leading school leadership and teacher training schemes, and working for local authorities to drive improvements. Nicky has experience at a strategic national and international level in the delivery of educational leadership and educational system strengthening. Nicky has provided technical assistance for equitable access to education in conflict sensitive geographies to ensure systems have the strength to adapt and provide continuity of education. She has successfully interacted with state governments to facilitate educational change at all levels, collaborating with stakeholders to implement new systems, teacher training programmes, school leadership frameworks and courses, and improved access to learning for all children, young people and adults regardless of their environmental, social or economic starting points.