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Sudan
Education Reform
The revolutionary government of General Bashir announced sweeping
reforms in Sudanese education in September 1990. In consultation
with leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood and Islamic teachers and
administrators, who were the strongest supporters of his regime,
Bashir proclaimed a new philosophy of education. He allocated
£Sd400 million for the academic year 1990-91 to carry out these
reforms and promised to double the sum if the current education
system could be changed to meet the needs of Sudan.
The new education philosophy was to provide a frame of reference
for the reforms. Education was to be based on the permanence of
human nature, religious values, and physical nature. This could
only be accomplished by a Muslim curriculum, which in all schools,
colleges, and universities would consist of two parts: an obligatory
and an optional course of study. The obligatory course to be studied
by every student was to be based on revealed knowledge concerning
all disciplines. All the essential elements of the obligatory
course would be drawn from the Quran and the recognized books
of the hadith. The optional course of study would permit
the student to select certain specializations according to individual
aptitudes and inclinations. Whether the government could carry
out such sweeping reforms throughout the country in the face of
opposition from within the Sudanese education establishment and
the dearth of resources for implementing such an ambitious project
remained to be seen. Membership in the Popular Defence Forces,
a paramilitary body allied to the National Islamic Front, became
a requirement for university admission. By early 1991, Bashir
had decreed that the number of university students be doubled
and that Arabic replace English as the language of instruction
in universities. He dismissed about seventy faculty members at
the University of Khartoum who opposed his reforms.
Data as of June 1991
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