The Militarization of Pedagogy in Sudan: An Analysis of its Impact on Education, Society, and Politics

• In Event: Curricula, Pedagogy and the Impact of Violence and Crisis on Learning

Proposal

Sudan's political history has been marked by several military coups that have resulted in the dominance of military regimes in the country's governance. Sudan has been governed by military regimes for a total of more than 50 years out of 67 years of its existence. The coup of 1958, resulted in the establishment of a military government that lasted until 1964. Then 1969’s coup, lasted until 1985, and in 1989, led to military rule until 2019. While a newly independent Sudan initially operated under civilian rule in 1956, this democratic governance was soon disrupted by the military, with coups taking place first in 1958, then in 1969, and in 1989. The most recent of these military coups was in October of 2021, with the military overthrowing a transitional civilian-led government established in 2019. The long-standing presence of regimes ruled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has had a profound impact on the country's social and political landscape, particularly in terms of the militarization of various aspects of society, including education.

The subversion of education through the military appropriation of teaching has been a consistently observed phenomenon in Sudan since the country’s inception. However, recent trends indicate that it has been happening at an alarming rate lately. This study will explore the process of militarization in education, including the efforts to transfer the administrative and pedagogical management of Sudan's public schools to the armed forces.

The literature on the militarization of pedagogy, meanwhile, depicts it as a contentious issue, with some arguing that it prepares students for careers in the armed forces and instills positive values such as discipline and patriotism, while others argue that it promotes militarism and war, and undermines fundamental goals of education such as critical thinking and peaceful conflict resolution.

This study assumes the latter position as it views Sudan’s struggle to defend its public schools from being militarized as a reflection of its political struggle to transition into democracy. This study has been prompted by the recent outbreak of war in the capital city of Khartoum in April 2023, and as such have the following objectives:

1. Examining the historical roots of the militarisation of pedagogy in Sudan
2. Analyzing the perpetuating pattern of militarisation in Sudan’s education
3. Investigating the impact of militarisation of pedagogy on education, society, and politics in Sudan

Author

• Sahar ElAsad, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge