UNICEF calls for standardized and recognized exams for all students in Sudan.

June 11, 2026 (PEN) The UNICEF Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Itlifa Kadele, called for standardized and recognized national examinations to be provided to all Sudanese students, whether in conflict and displacement zones or in countries of refuge.

In a statement issued yesterday from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Kadeli said that the standardized exam ensures fairness, protects academic credentials, and safeguards the future of a generation affected by conflict.

She stressed that the unified exam gives students who have been deprived for years of completing their studies the opportunity to progress on an equal footing with their peers, and spares them the divisions that could limit their future opportunities in higher education and the labor market.

Kadeli stressed the need for the government and the parties to the conflict to agree on practical and safe mechanisms for conducting examinations consistently in all regions of Sudan, announcing UNICEF's readiness to support these efforts during the current examination season and beyond.

She explained that completing secondary school "is not just an individual achievement, but a crucial path towards higher education, skills and opportunities that the youth of Sudan deserve."

She warned that fragmented accreditation systems threaten to create obstacles that could persist even after the conflict ends.

Kadeli concluded by emphasizing that "education must remain a neutral space" protected from division and guided by what serves the best interests of children, considering that ensuring all Sudanese learners take the same exam wherever they are is essential to protecting their rights today and their future prospects.