The European Union (EU) announced the completion of the pre-service training for Sudanese teachers, within the Education Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP), funded in the amount of €4 million, under the patronage of the Ministries of Education and Higher Education & Scientific Research.
Khartoum: Al Taghyeer
It is expected that EQUIP, in its second phase, will train hundreds of teacher trainers, future teachers, supervisors and educational experts.
In a statement on 26 May 2021, the EU Delegation to Sudan Ambassador, Robert van den Dool, announced an additional financial support of €9 million to the teacher training activities to ensure the sustainability of the results, for a period of 3 years, starting on 1 June 2021.
The statement noted that cooperation between the two ministries will continue during this second period, so that the program covers all the 18 states of the country, thus benefitting all the Sudanese children.
The Ambassador pointed to the importance of education as a basic human right, referring to the lack of resources currently allocated by the Sudanese government to education.
He emphasized the needs of increasing the government budget to meet the international standards and provide quality education across the country.
For his part, Bertrand Commelin, Director of the Human Capitaland Social Development Department at Experts France, indicated the positive momentum in bilateral relations between Sudan and France, especially with the International conference, held mid-may in Paris, to support the political transition in Sudan.
Mr. Commelin stressed the importance of supporting education to achieve sustainable political, social and economic development in Sudan.
“He emphasized the relevance of the EQUIP programme as it addresses the critical need of the teachers to strengthen their professional skills and not only their academic knowledge.” The statement read.
For her part, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Intisar al-Zain Saghairoun, praised the good coordination between the two ministries during the last three years, stressing that no child must be left out of school.
