Introduction

Education is key for young people’s growth and future. Yet millions of children and youth cannot go to school. War, poverty, and exclusion keep them from learning. Recently, conflict in Sudan has kept schools shut down. Additionally, there are many present challenges faced by students with disabilities. Together, these examples show how obtaining equal access to education still needs urgent action.

Case Study: Conflict in Sudan

With its current conflict, Sudan is experiencing one of the worst education crises in the world. UNICEF reports estimate that nearly 80 percent of Sudan’s children have lost access to learning. More than 10,400 schools are closed, and thousands more cannot be used. This is slowly creating an uneducated population, which slows long-term growth. As of early 2025, about 2,800 school buildings are being used as shelters, not as places of learning. The conflict has forced countless people to relocate, with over 6.5 million children having to move away from their homes and losing their learning environments. Many of Sudan’s teachers also cannot work because they do not always get paid, causing many to leave Sudan. UNICEF estimates that Sudan’s youth may face a USD 26 billion loss in their lifetime earnings if schooling remains disrupted, in addition to long-term psychological consequences.

UNICEF and the Government of Japan launched a recent initiative across five states in Sudan. It aims to restore education for children affected by conflict. Announced in November 2025, the program allocates over USD five million to repair approximately 220 schools, provide essential learning materials, and train nearly 1,800 teachers. It also establishes youth clubs that focus on building life skills and offering mental health support, helping young people recover and continue their education in safer, more supportive environments.

Job-specific education, also called vocational education, can be very useful. Vocational programs, such as farming education, can provide youth with useful skills, including repair work, construction, or small-business training. These skills matter when economies collapse and families need a stable income.  Unlike formal schooling, vocational programs are flexible and can be taught in various settings, making them accessible even in rural or crisis-affected areas. Teens who have experienced instability and loss also benefit from the structure and purpose that vocational training provides. It prevents youth from being pulled into working for armed groups. These risks increase when people are out of school. Vocational education has thus become a strong alternative to typical higher-level education, with economic success.

When schools remain closed for extended periods, vocational training can provide valuable opportunities for skill development and employment. At the same time, it is important to maintain access to higher levels of education to support long-term social and economic growth. While some groups have attempted to add this education in Sudan, their efforts have not yet been fully successful due to conflict in the area.

Policy and Inclusion Challenges for Vulnerable Groups

Students with disabilities often do not get the support they need. UNESCO reports that individuals with disabilities are almost 50 percent more likely not to go to school than students without disabilities. Many school buildings are challenging to use for those who are physically disabled. They may not have ramps or safe bathrooms. Many students also do not have tools that help them see, hear, or move. Also, about 40 percent of countries do not train teachers on how to teach students with mental handicaps or physical restrictions, as proper training is expensive. Without trained teachers, students can fall behind. This can cause long-term learning problems, even if students attend school.

The Global Disability Summit, held in April 2025, brought together more than 80 governments and organizations that endorsed the Amman–Berlin Declaration. The declaration aims to strengthen the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all areas of society. Following this, UNICEF said it will spend 10 percent of its total budget on disability inclusion by 2030. UNICEF will help another 50 countries improve their schools. This includes planning for inclusion, training teachers in new teaching methods, and giving students more assistive technology.

Currently, many governments do not have strict rules that support students with disabilities. Schools often do not get enough money to build ramps or make classrooms accessible. Even when inclusion laws do exist, they are not used the same way everywhere, as families in low-income countries often cannot get simple tools like hearing aids, communication boards, or wheelchairs. These tools are important so kids can learn and take part in school. Until countries spend more money on universal design, teacher training, and accessible learning materials, many children with disabilities will still be left out of school.

For delegates, these situations show why youth education needs both immediate intervention and long-term planning. The worldwide problems faced by students with disabilities show that access to learning depends on inclusive design, trained teachers, and steady support. These actions must happen not only during crises but also in every country.

Conclusion

The case of Sudan shows how war can close schools, force children to flee, and harm their future. In these cases, flexible options like vocational education could keep youth learning and safe. Delegates should also consider ways to integrate academic lessons in challenging situations. At the same time, students with disabilities face barriers even in countries without conflict. While international efforts have helped, more intervention is needed. Education should not stop because of war or disability. It must remain a top priority everywhere.

Bibliography

1. Amate, José Jesús Sánchez, Rosa, Antonio, and Pedro Tadeu, “Educational Discrimination and Challenges of Inclusion,” Brain Sciences 15 (8): 848. doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15080848.
2. “Amman-Berlin Declaration,” Global Disability Summit, 2025, www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/resource/amman-berlin-declaration/
3. Beyond Access Ensuring the continuity of education for adolescent girls with disabilities (Lyon: Handicap International, 2025) www.hi.org/sn_uploads/document/FACTSHEET-HI-Beyond-Access-2025.pdf.
4. “Children in Sudan,” U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), April 25, 2025, refugees.org/children-in-sudan/.
5. “Ensuring the Right to Education for Vulnerable Groups,” UNESCO, last edited December 1, 2025, www.unesco.org/en/right-education/vulnerable-groups?hub=70224.
6. “GEM Report Summary on Disabilities and Education,” UNESCO, n.d., unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265353.
7. “Global Disability Summit 2025,” Global Disability Summit, November 25, 2025, www.globaldisabilitysummit.org/.
8. “How the War in Sudan Is Displacing Millions of Young Learners,” AHSEdu, November 11, 2025, ahsedu.org/blog/how-the-war-in-sudan-is-displacing-millions-of-young-learners/.
9. Poteat, V. Paul, et al, “LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Inclusive School Policies,” Developmental Psychology, (July, 2025): doi.org/10.1037/dev0002024.
10. “Sudan War ‘a Living Nightmare for Children’: UNICEF Representative,” UN News, accessed December 2025, news.un.org/en/story/2024/01/1145882.
11. “Sudan: World Teachers’ Day – Sudan’s Educators Surviving rather than Thriving,” AllAfrica, last edited October 6, 2025, allafrica.com/stories/202510060015.html.
12. “The Sudan crisis – A children’s crisis,” UNICEF Sudan, accessed December, 2025, www.unicef.org/sudan/sudan-crisis-childrens-crisis-0.
13. “The Use of Assistive Technology in Education: A Guide for Teachers and Schools,” UNICEF, 2022, www.unicef.org/eca/media/30671/file/Teacher.
14. “UNICEF and Japan partner to reopen schools for 80,000 conflict-affected children in Sudan,” UNICEF, November 10, 2025, www.unicef.org/sudan/press-releases/unicef-and-japan-partner-reopen-schools-80000-conflict-affected-children-sudan.
15. Weidling et al. “‘We Are Dragged along like Dogs and Take Damage …’– Adolescents’ experiences affecting their mental health during vocational training in a health or social care profession – an interpretative phenomenological analysis.,” 1574.