1. The Republic of the Sudan was a colony of Great Britain between 1821 and 1956. On 1 January 1956, the Sudan became an independent State with national sovereignty.
2. The surface area of the Sudan covers all territory internationally recognized as Sudanese since 1956, amounting to 967,498 square miles.
3. The constitutional decrees promulgated by the head of State represent the country's supreme law. They currently replace the Constitution and guarantee all civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, as well as public duties.
4. The equality of citizens stems from the identity of a common human ancestry and forms the basis of society, including its rights and duties.
5. The political system in the Republic of the Sudan is based on devotion to the values of truth, freedom, dignity, justice and observance of human rights (articles 22, 23, 24 and 25 of the National Charter for Political Action).
6. Work is currently under way on preparing a comprehensive constitution for the country which will be presented to the Sudanese people in a public referendum before it is carried into effect.
7. Public legislative elections for the National Assembly (Parliament) are held in the country every four years and presidential elections every five years. Elections for the State councils are also held every five years in each of the 26 States which make up the Republic of the Sudan. Elections for State governors are held every four years.
8. Having secured the right of self-determination, the Sudan acquired full independence in its political decision-making and assiduously endeavoured to strengthen international détente and build a universal system ensuring full freedom, justice and equality for all peoples and States, as well as international peace and security.
Paragraph 1 of the guidelines
9. Non-Sudanese citizens are subject to the provisions of the laws in force in the country. They also enjoy the same rights and duties guaranteed to them under these laws without distinction, as well as the public legal right of a citizen not to be subjected to coercion in connection with belief or to prohibition in connection with worship or to injustice or discrimination in regard to public rights on the mere basis of personal attribute. Provision is also made for their right to work and to freedom of movement, unless governed by law.
Paragraph 3 of the guidelines
10. The overall framework for the promotion and development of economic, social and cultural rights is based on the conclusion of agreements and protocols on development cooperation towards the full realization of these rights. To that end, the Sudan is deploying major efforts with multilateral and bilateral bodies.
11. The Sudan is making use of all its approved cooperation programmes with the United Nations and its various agencies to lay the foundations for the realization of economic, social and cultural rights, involving the technical support provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
12. On account of the civil war conditions in southern Sudan, Operation Lifeline Sudan was approved with a view to ensuring the realization of all such rights in regard to the inhabitants of the affected areas. It comprises assistance from Canada, the Netherlands, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Norway.
13. The Sudan also receives assistance in the same context from the Islamic Development Bank, the Kuwait Development Fund, the Arab Bank and the African Development Bank.
14. Again in the same context, the Sudan receives assistance from China, Nigeria, Turkey, Pakistan and the Republic of Korea.
15. The Sudan acceded to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination on 21 March 1974. Arrangements are still under way for its accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Paragraph 2 of the guidelines
16. The Alms-Tax Office and various solidarity funds offer material support and assistance to the sick and needy.
17. Under Sudanese law, work is regarded as an honour and a duty. Article 10 (2) of the Seventh Constitutional Decree of 1993 states that: every citizen has a duty to acquire knowledge and perform work in the public interest. It also provides full guarantees for the protection of the worker as the guest of the employer.
18. The provisions of the Public Service Act stipulate the basis of the duties and responsibilities of public service and the necessary qualifications for its performance as prescribed in the classification and evaluation plan approved by the Cabinet on the recommendation of the competent minister. Posts are established, modified and abolished according to the work requirements. The rules and principles governing such establishment, modification and abolition are clearly articulated in regulations (article 10 of the Public Service Act of 1994).
19. Each unit is regarded as a functional structure which prepares a roll of approved posts and their titles and levels. It also specifies the duties and responsibilities of each post in accordance with the administrative chart approved by the competent authority (article 11 (1) of the Public Service Act of 1994).
20. The Government of the Sudan has adopted various practical measures to ensure that work is as productive as possible by preparing a sound work environment, particularly with a view to regulating certain occupations, taking into account the worker's state of health and the nature of his work. It also attaches great importance to the principle of equal pay for equal work, to weekly breaks and holidays, and to providing worker productivity incentives. Consideration is also given to the health, educational and cultural circumstances of workers and their families.
21. Part IV (article 18) of the Public Service Act prescribes free competition on the basis of merit by examination, interview or both in accordance with the requirements of work and the various specialist fields.
22. All vacant posts are advertised using all the available information media, except high-level leadership posts and promotion posts that can be filled from within a unit. The contents of the advertisement and the process to be followed are prescribed by regulations (article 19 of the Public Service Act of 1994).
23. As training is regarded as a vital element of innovation, improvement and performance-raising, the provisions of article 42 (1) of the Public Service Act of 1994 stipulate that training is a functional duty of all employees in the public service and that the laws and regulations shall determine training plans and the objectives and types of training. Article 42 (2) of the Act calls upon each unit head to train the workers in the units in the methods of work and the rules governing work.
24. In accordance with the provisions of article 7 (2) of the Public Service Act of 1994, the bodies responsible for the running and development of the public service are as follows:
(a) The Supreme Council for Administrative Reform;
(b) The Federal Public Service Commission and the public service selection boards in the States;
(c) The Public Service Affairs Office;
(d) The Central Organization for Administrative Reform;
(e) The Sudan Academy for Administrative Sciences;
(f) The Centre for Administrative Development;
(g) The Public Servants' Bureau;
(h) The Organization for Public Monitoring and Administrative Appraisal;
(i) The National Training Department;
(j) Other bodies which the Cabinet decides to establish.
25. Various factors prevent attainment of the objectives of full employment, namely the difficulty of accurate statistical monitoring in the light of which a fixed plan could be drawn up. In addition, the majority demonstrate a preference for office work. Work is now under way to evaluate these problems, with the emphasis on field work.
26. No distinctions, exclusions, restrictions or preferences exist, be it in law or in administrative practices or in practical relationships, on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion or social origin of citizens, all of whom are equal in rights and duties.
27. No precise statistics are available on vocational guidance and training or on the employment and occupations of persons according to their race, colour, sex, religion and national origin, as public service employment in the Sudan is not subject to those criteria. It is therefore extremely difficult to formulate any precise statistics.
28. Apart from posts of a political or security nature, which are exclusively restricted to Sudanese citizens, opportunities for employment at all levels are available to everyone, regardless of race, colour, religion, political opinion or social origin.
Paragraph 4 of the guidelines
29. There are no precise figures available from which to determine the percentage of the working population holding more than one full-time job. Certain individuals, however, do hold more than one job through delegation or secondment.
30. The Government of the Sudan is making great efforts to derive the maximum benefit from the small amount of assistance provided by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and to increase worker productivity in all sectors.
31. The Higher Wages Council and the Sudan Workers Trade Unions Federation regularly review workers' wages every six months and recommend increases on the basis of the international economic variables affecting the domestic economy. This applies to both public and private sectors, as the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning applies ipso jure such recommendations to all categories of workers in the country.
32. The minimum wages in the public and private sectors are declared and increased on the recommendations of the Higher Wages Council. Some groups, however, fall outside the protection of the wages system in cases where private individual contracts are concluded between employee and employer. The following table shows the average wage and the minimum wage since 1987:
33. In fixing workers' salaries and pay, the principle of equal pay for equal work is applied on the basis of the nature of the work, the difficulty of the duties and responsibilities involved and the conditions in which the work is performed, regardless of sex (Labour Act of 1994, as amended in 1997).
Paragraph 5 of the guidelines
34. The regulations on appointment and reappointment determine main working hours, periodic holidays with pay and remuneration for public holidays pursuant to the Public Service Act of 1994.
35. Official working hours are eight hours daily, six days weekly. Those in employment of a nature that requires them to work on public holidays receive bonus pay, while any public employee who has served one year is entitled to annual paid leave and may also be given local leave. Moreover, he receives further payments to cover journey costs incurred by himself and his family for travel to any region within the Sudan.
36. The authorities have encountered no difficulties in determining working hours and the criteria and regulations governing annual holidays and remuneration for work carried out on public holidays.
37. The Sudan acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1986.
38. Trade unions in the Sudan are established on the basis of cooperation with the State apparatus and social forces with a view to strengthening national unity, protecting the independence and security of the nation, furthering its objective, steering it towards its moral ideals and broadening its international relations.
39. A worker who applies to join or leave a trade union cannot have his application refused.
40. In the provisions of article 9 (2) of the Sudan Workers' Trade Unions Act of 1992, the Sudanese legislator prescribed that workers in the sectors and establishments specified in the regulations may form a trade union organization.
41. In accordance with the provisions of article 9 (5) of the Sudan Workers' Trade Unions Act of 1992, a trade union may join the membership of any regional, national or international federation by a decision of its general assembly, provided that the federation concerned is in agreement.
42. No limitations are placed on the right of Sudanese trade unions to function freely. In accordance with the provisions of article 7 (1) of the Sudanese Workers' Trade Unions Act, trade union elections held in the Sudan are impartial and independent.
43. In contrast to previous times, the strike weapon is no longer exercised in the Sudan with a view to acquiring rights, workers having recognized the adverse repercussions of the strikes which took place in the years prior to the Revolution for National Salvation. As a result, they invariably seek to negotiate with the authorities concerned, usually with positive results in their favour.
44. Workers in the Sudan now feel that they are as involved in development activity as everyone else. They therefore regard any strike as an obstacle to development.
45. Sudanese laws contain no provisions that prohibit strikes. Nevertheless, the workers themselves make efforts to solve their problems through negotiation and very frequently arrive at satisfactory solutions.
46. Strikes are legally and constitutionally guaranteed for all categories of workers. There are no legal provisions which permit some workers to strike to the exclusion of others.
47. The regular forces are not entitled to establish trade union organizations and are consequently not entitled to engage in any employment strikes.
48. The following branches of social security exist in the Sudan: (a) medical care; (b) cash sickness benefits; (c) maternity benefits; (d) old-age benefits; (e) invalidity benefits; (f) survivors' benefits; (g) employment injury benefits; (h) unemployment benefits; (i) family benefits.
49. Spending on social security amounts to 3.5 per cent of GNP and to 2 per cent of the general budget.
Paragraph 6 of the guidelines
50. Most citizens, particularly those working in the public sector, enjoy all social security benefits. This includes women, who are accorded all the rights guaranteed to them by law.
51. The Republic of the Sudan acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1987 and to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 3 August 1990. Various steps are still to be taken for its accession to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
52. The family is the nucleus and basis of society, the setting in which individuals are raised and personalities built. It effectively fulfils its responsibility on the basis of its commitment to moral principles founded on pure social values. It is a term used in the Sudan to refer to individuals who are linked by ties of paternity, filiation, marriage or kinship (the extended family).
53. A child is considered to have attained majority when he reaches 18 years of age and is mentally, physically and psychologically mature.
54. The Sudan promotes the establishment of the family by facilitating marriage for those who wish to enter into it and by providing the material assistance which that requires. No marriage takes place without the mutual consent of the intending spouses.
55. In order to safeguard against social decline, disintegration and decay, the State sponsors social marriage projects, having adopted the practice of providing assistance conducive to perpetuating the human race and facilitating the establishment of families. The following illustrates the number of marriages entered into within that framework:
57. Under the provisions of article 57 (1) of the Maternal and Child Welfare Act, the Ministry of Health is required to establish a central committee for maternal and child welfare. Pursuant to the provisions of article 58 of the Act, subject to articles 5 and 6, the Central Committee for Mother and Child Care is responsible, inter alia, for making national planning proposals to ensure that urban and rural services are provided on an equitable basis.
58. The Sudanese legislator affirmed, pursuant to the provisions of article 68 (1) of the Act, that no midwife is permitted to practise the profession without a licence from the assistant health governor in the relevant province. A licence cannot be issued unless the midwife:
(a) Has obtained a science qualification and completed the required training in accordance with the levels stipulated in the regulations;
(b) Is registered in the midwifery section of the register of medical professions.
59. A council known as the mental health council has also been established in each province pursuant to the provisions of article 73 of the Act.
60. The total length of maternity leave is two weeks and the period of compulsory maternity leave after confinement is 1½ months. During this period, mothers receive all their cash entitlements in the form of monthly salary and benefits due.
61. The concern which the Sudan devotes to children falls within the framework of its programmes related to children in difficult circumstances, including homeless children, children of unknown parentage and orphans. The programme exemplifies that concern by:
(a) Maintaining a record of such children and reporting their circumstances;
(b) Giving priority to their families in the projects to create economically active families;
(c) Organizing specific programmes for them.
62. The law in the Sudan prohibits the employment of children who have not attained majority, which is defined as 18 years of age. No precise statistics are available because some children are employed under private agreements between them and their employers. As such, it is difficult to maintain records. The employment of children in domestic work or commercial farms owned by their families is governed by the provisions concerning domestic services.
63. Homeless children and lone children previously enjoyed a lesser degree of protection. A great deal of attention was devoted to them by the National Council for Child Welfare and the Ministry of Social Planning, as a result of which camps providing all the necessary forms of protection were set up to accommodate them.
Paragraph 8 of the guidelines
64. In common with other developing countries, the Sudan suffers from the problems caused by poverty, instability, insecurity and the external debt burden. It is therefore highly dependent on foreign assistance from international organizations and banking institutions to implement child protection programmes and the provisions of the International Bill of Human Rights. However, the fact that such assistance is either negligible or often completely non-existent constitutes an insurmountable obstacle to the implementation of human rights and makes it extremely difficult to put into action the plans and programmes which have been framed in that connection.
65. The agricultural sector sets the pace and provides the main impetus for all economic activity. Occupying the lead position, it contributes 36 per cent to GDP, accounts for 75 per cent of the labour force and contributes approximately 95 per cent to the value of exports. Most domestic industries are also reliant on it to provide the raw materials which they require.
66. The post-1989 period has been marked by serious efforts to achieve food security by increasing the areas farmed with wheat and focusing on corn cultivation in the irrigated areas in order to avoid the swings in production which can occur in the rainy areas.
67. The agricultural programmes in the Sudan are aimed at stepping up efforts to increase productivity by introducing suitable advanced technology in the following areas:
(a) Irrigation, by introducing modern irrigation systems;
(b) Soil, by adding fertilizers and protecting the soil from erosion;
(c) Production, by immunizing stocks.
68. The process of reaching an accurate determination of the poverty line in the Sudan involves practical complications in view of the difficulty of recording family living standards under the trying material conditions which the country is experiencing. No physical quality of life index has yet been formulated in the Sudan.
69. The Sudan has the two biggest silos for grain storage. The first is located in the town of Gedaref (in the largest grain-producing region in Africa) and the other is in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast. They are linked to consumer and export areas by a network of modern roads and railways.
70. Agricultural research centres provide agricultural advice and guidance to farmers, who also receive practical field and farming assistance from experts and specialists.
71. The increased production of food grains is undoubtedly the mainstay of food and political security. With a view to achieving that security, the agricultural programmes in the Sudan aim to achieve a fivefold or sixfold increase in grain production at an average annual rate of 40 per cent and an eightfold increase in other crops such as legumes, horticultural crops, fodder, sugar and rice. To that end, the Sudan is participating in international efforts aimed at securing the right of everyone to be free from hunger, this in conjunction with the United Nations and its agencies, other Arab States and friendly African States.
72. The process of health-care development is an ongoing task that is crucial to the advancement and progress of society and all social groups. The country's health situation has undergone radical change, as illustrated by the information below.
73. The Sudan has a national health policy aimed at ensuring that primary health care, including prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, is available to everyone in accordance with the World Health Organization approach. Its policy objective is to achieve a satisfactory standard of health by eliminating endemic and epidemic diseases, renovating hospitals, improving hospital efficiency and management, and providing beds for citizens in line with the international average, in addition to establishing medical industries to produce hospital equipment, surgical instruments, medical supplies and laboratory tools and developing the human resources represented by doctors, technicians, assistants, nurses and midwives.
74. The percentage of expenditure allocated to health remained at 2 per cent from 1987 to 1995. In 1996, it increased to 3 per cent.
75. The national definition of the term "urban areas" is towns which have health and education services and which can offer modern social activities and technological facilities that are much more advanced than in rural areas.
76. In the desire to create a safe and healthy environment, the Sudanese legislator deemed fit to establish within the Ministry of Health, under the provisions of article 4 (a) of the Public Health Act of 1975, a health council known as the Public Health Council, with responsibility for the following:
(a) Formulating the general principles and standards which govern the health of the environment and providing technical advice to people's local government councils;
(b) Drafting the required standards and specifications for hospitals and health establishments, laboratories, pharmacies, drug stores, private clinics and maternity homes in the public and private sectors;
(c) Declaring a state of emergency in the event of an outbreak of a contagious or epidemic disease that threatens public health throughout the country, with the approval of the competent minister (article 1 of the Act).
77. In order to safeguard and protect humans from disease, the Minister is authorized, pursuant to the provisions of article 41 (1) of the Act, to establish individual ministerial sections with responsibility for one or more of the endemic diseases. He may also determine the location of the main office of any section and appoint a head, an assistant head and medically qualified workers employed by foreign organizations to work in any section that is established.
78. Under the provisions of article 42 (2), any section concerned with an endemic disease must conduct a country-wide survey to determine the endemic areas of the disease in question and the extent of its spread in the provinces, and then formulate projects and plans to combat it.
79. The Government of the Sudan devoted particularly close attention to the immunization of children and pregnant women against the six known diseases, thereby achieving the highest ever percentage of child immunization. It also endeavoured to establish a greater number of health centres providing full immunization services. Family advice and guidance is provided in all urban and rural areas of the country by the African Association for Maternal and Child Welfare.
80. Pregnant women are encouraged to undergo regular prenatal health checks and are offered free advisory services in all maternity homes and hospitals.
81. Medical services for the elderly are provided in all health centres, first aid posts and public hospital clinics as a fundamental right associated with the right to life.
Paragraph 7 of the guidelines
82. The provisions of article 4 (1) (a) of the Public Health Act of 1975 provide for the participation of people's local government councils in elaborating the general principles and standards governing the health of the environment as the enduring basis for a safe and healthy life.
83. The radio and television media constantly air programmes which provide health education and medical advice. Mobile information units also endeavour to raise awareness of health problems and ways of combating such problems.
Paragraph 9 of the guidelines
84. International assistance is still unable to meet the cost of health care and health projects owing to the country's steady population growth and the vastness of its terrain.
Full realization of the right of everyone to education
85. Article 1 of the Public Education Act of 1992 stipulates the right of every citizen to the basic stage of education, which has been extended to eight years.
86. The educational policy of ensuring that basic education is available to all before the year 2000, as approved by the Cabinet, has been given maximum priority with a view to attaining the stage of compulsory education and promulgating legislation to that effect. The State also undertook to provide free education at the basic stage. In 1996, three States in the Sudan, namely Khartoum, Northern State and River Nile State, were able to declare that basic education was compulsory. These States comprise 19 per cent of the total number of inhabitants at the age of basic education.
87. A phased plan to implement the education policy was formulated for the gradual admission of all applicants for enrolment during 1991/92 and 1993/94 who had attained the legal age of six. The implementation of measures guaranteeing the general availability of education by the year 2000, to be followed by compulsory education, began in 1998.
88. Part IV, articles 11, 12 and 13, of the Public Education Act concerning the administration of public education determines the powers and terms of reference of the federal and State education authorities. The task of implementing education policies, including the opening of vocational and technical secondary schools, was passed to the States. The education strategy is intended to standardize secondary education insofar as it constitutes an important stage and a step forward in the field of human resources planning, aiming as it does to allow the individual to make an effective contribution to the development of society and pursue education to higher stages.
89. The concern for this matter is highlighted by the tremendous expansion of secondary education, the number of secondary schools having leapt from 484 in 1990 to 1,010 in 1995/96, representing an increase of 526. In other words, the number of secondary schools has doubled over a period of five years.
90. The first priority of the education policy is to address the question of equal education. However, although secondary education has progressed over the past two decades, much of what should have been achieved is still to be done, while the number of both sexes enrolled in secondary education remains low compared to the number of inhabitants in the secondary school age group. The figures and statistics for 1994/95 clearly show the intake rate for the 14-16 age group of both sexes at 27.9 per cent (27.3 per cent for girls, increasing to 28.6 per cent for boys) (see table).
91. During the first half of the 1970s, higher education gained noticeable ground in the States of the Sudan, the number of government universities rising from 10 in 1990 to 24 in 1995. The number of private institutions also rose from 7 in 1990 to 13 in 1995, while student numbers rose from 27,127 in 1990 to 54,074 in the case of females and from 34,047 in 1990 to 79,305 in the case of males (133,379 in total), thus indicating that those eligible to enrol in higher education made use of the opportunity to do so.
92. Spending on higher education institutes increased in line with the policy of expanding higher education and the budget therefore grew from 888,150,000 Sudanese pounds in 1990/91 to an approved sum of 12 billion Sudanese pounds in 1995, representing an increase of 1,290 per cent. In higher education, the student pays annual fees which vary according to college and specialization. Exemptions are in place for those who are unable to meet the cost of fees.
93. In 1996, the budget allocation for education amounted to some 5.6 billion Sudanese pounds, representing 5.3 per cent of the overall budget. The ratio of spending on basic education is 44 per cent of the total expenditure on higher education. The grass-roots effort represents 53 per cent of the amount spent on education in 1994/95.
94. The broad view is that participation should be strengthened by expanding the base of financial contributions to include all other sectors and a number of organizations with a view to alleviating the burden on poorer families.
95. Towns throughout the country organize adult literacy programmes, while those of primary school age have the opportunity to pursue similar programmes suited to their age. These children are permitted to join the basic or secondary stages as befits their level of education.
Alternatives available for children not in school
96. Since 1990, when a conference on education reform was held, the education policy in the Sudan has given priority to ensuring the general availability of basic education, including pre-school education (ages 4 to 5), basic education (ages 6 to 13) and literacy for adolescents (ages 8 to 14) in parallel with regular basic education, with a particular focus on girls so that they can pursue and enrol in regular education. The importance attached to education extended to nomads, resulting in the establishment of mobile schools to cater for their educational needs.
97. The objectives of the education project for adolescents are:
(a) To provide educational opportunities for those in the 9-14 age group who are not in school or who dropped out during the early stages of basic education;
(b) To offer the type of education which befits the needs and circumstances of the adolescent group so that its members can further their knowledge, and improve their abilities and develop their outlook;
(c) To open up the channels between regular education and this type of education so that adolescents who wish to pursue education can do so;
(d) To develop flexible teaching methods so that educational opportunities are readily available to everyone, particularly girls.
98. Three projects which provide an overview of the alternatives are described below.
99. Under the project for adolescents, a total of 23 centres have been opened in the six States of Northern Darfur, Northern Kordofan, Nile, Gezira, Kassala and White Nile. A total of 1,161 children have been enrolled, including 303 females.
100. The relief project for displaced persons aims to provide educational opportunities at relocation sites for the children of persons displaced by drought and war. It has provided such opportunities for over 4 million children, 40 per cent of them female.
101. Under the nomad education programme, by 1997, 259 mobile schools for nomad children had been opened, catering for 13,219 children (including 4,863 females) in the States of Kordofan and Darfur.
102. The main objectives of the plan for the survival, protection and development of the children of the Sudan in the field of education are as follows:
(a) To increase the percentage enrolled in basic schools from 70 per cent in 1995 to 100 per cent by the year 2000;
(b) To increase the graduation rate from 75 per cent in 1995 to 80 per cent in the year 2000;
(c) To reduce illiteracy to 50 per cent in 1995 and to eradicate it by the year 2000;
(d) To expand early child development services and pre-school education.
Enrolment in basic education
103. Basic education has undergone a marked development during the past two decades, the intake rate for both sexes in the 6-13 age group having risen to 53 per cent (49.4 per cent for girls and 65.6 per cent for boys) in the 1994/95 school year (see table).
Drop-out rates
104. Two types of drop-out are encountered in the education system:
(a) Those who missed the opportunity to enrol in school;
(b) Those who dropped out after enrolling in school and before completing the relevant stage. In 1992/93, the statistics for drop-outs among girls was at its highest (24.8 per cent) in the fifth form. There is no recent information, however, concerning drop-outs among boys and girls in urban and rural areas.
Literacy and adult education
105. A conference on the status of illiteracy and its future prospects, held in August 1990, recommended the elaboration of a comprehensive plan for the eradication of illiteracy in the Sudan by the year 2000. It also recommended the promulgation of a National Assembly law on literacy and adult education that would codify efforts in that connection.
106. The law was promulgated in 1991. A comprehensive campaign began to eradicate illiteracy among 8 million adolescents and economically active persons in the 10-45 age group. The campaign efforts were successful in eradicating illiteracy among 4¼ million individuals.
The school system
107. In 1991, the structure of general education was altered from six years to two years for the pre-school stage and from three years to eight years for the basic stage, remaining at three years for the vocational and technical secondary school stage. The pre-school education stage is deemed as preparation for the basic stage and became part of the education system pursuant to Ministerial Decision No. 1799 of 4 November 1990.
The schooling schedule
108. For the basic stage, the schooling schedule varies between 23 class periods for the first form to 45 class periods for the more senior (sixth to eighth) forms, interspersed with five-minute breaks to provide time to prepare for the next lesson. At the secondary stage, students have seven 40-minute class periods a day, averaging 42 class periods a week.
109. New schools were established on the basis of population density after a feasibility study was conducted using a map of schools to pinpoint school sites.
110. The following table shows the intake rate by sex in the basic stage for 1995/96.
111. The following table shows the intake rate in the secondary stage for 1995/96.
112. The following chart describes the practical enjoyment of education by girls in various groups:
114. Instruction at all stages of education in the Sudan is in the Arabic language, which is the country's main language. Various foreign languages, such as English and French, are also studied.
115. Given that teachers provide the main practical input in education, they must be carefully selected from among the top graduates with the knowledge, moral character, personality and training needed to guarantee a high standard of practical, professional and behavioural skills.
116. The teacher's pay system was modified in line with training standards, level of responsibility and professional status in order to ensure continuation of the open-ended incremental system.
117. Medical and economic facilities at the federal and State levels have been established for teachers.
118. Teacher training institutes have been developed into university faculties which specialize in producing graduates who will work as teachers in the basic stage. The number of education faculties in universities has also been increased.
119. The Government encourages initiatives for the establishment of educational facilities with grass-roots support, particularly in villages and rural areas, where some 30 per cent of schools have been established by means of such support. The Government supplies the land and furniture needed for these schools, as well as the necessary technicians and teaching staff.
120. The State receives assistance from the United Nations with a view to the realization of the right to education. Such assistance, however, is only modest and therefore fails to fulfil its intended purpose.
121. The legislative measures aimed at realizing the right of everyone to take part in cultural life are based on protection and promotion of the Sudanese national heritage exemplified by cultures and customs, fine traditions and exemplary moral conduct, and the guidance provided by worthy human principles and values and national options.
122. The Government encourages special initiatives by grass-roots institutions and adopts projects which further development. The funds used for cultural development are included in the general budget.
123. The following institutions have been established to promote the participation in culture by all social groups, including groups involved in independent initiatives, and to further cultural creativity: the Sudanese Cultural Institute; the National Museum of the Sudan; the National Theatre Troupe; the National Library; the National Theatre; the National Film Centre; the Central Publishing, Distribution and Advertising House; the Centre for Recording and Documenting Sudanese Life; the Sudanese Anthropological Museum; the Sudanese-Chinese Hall of Friendship Cinema; the Youth and Children's Palace Cinema; the State Cinema Institute. This is in addition to foreign cultural centres, such as: the British Council; the French Cultural Centre; the German Goethe Institute; the Iranian Cultural Centre; the Libyan Cultural Centre; the Iraqi Cultural Centre.
124. International music and song festivals are also organized on an annual basis to reflect the cultural heritage of the different tribes of the Sudan.
125. The Sudan is endeavouring to strengthen international détente, promote development of the national cultures of different communities and devote special attention to building a spirit of cultural dialogue between all groups and generations.
126. The Government of the Sudan attaches particular importance to promoting cultural awareness of the different communities and minorities, as clearly reflected in the establishment of national and State cultural centres and the National Popular Arts Troupe comprising members of the different tribes and minorities of the Sudan.
127. In a vast country such as the Sudan, which has a diversity of interactive cultures and ethnic groups and which suffers in common with other third world countries from a sharp divide between urban and rural areas, the information media should play a complementary role by providing culture, education and leisure and creating a link between these different cultures.
128. National Antiquities Board is responsible for preserving and presenting the cultural heritage of the country's various ethnic groups as something of human value that should not be overlooked. This heritage is on display in several museums, including the National Museum of the Sudan, the Museum of Natural History and the Ethnographic Museum.
129. The Sudan is a member State of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Article 4 of the Copyright Protection Act provides for the protection of any original creative work of literature, science or display such as written, illustrated, coloured and decorative works.
130. The vocational-related study of culture and fine arts was introduced as a subject at all stages of education in the Sudan, starting at the basic stage and continuing through the intermediate stage to the final stage of university arts faculties. There is a college of fine arts at the Sudanese University for Science and Technology in Khartoum.
131. The Sudan is endeavouring to strengthen cultural, trade and artistic cooperation with all countries, as well as to further integration with them and coordinate facilities. It is also seeking to facilitate global access to knowledge and modern culture and to assist the dissemination of scientific and cultural knowledge on equitable bases that preclude any monopoly over its key resources and that also allow its benefits and applications to be used in the interest of the human race without discrimination among its peoples.
132. Efforts are ongoing to find new opportunities for scientific and cultural cooperation with all countries, particularly those which are more advanced.
133. The provisions of article 8 (a) of the Copyright Protection Act of 1995 stipulate the lifelong protection of the literary rights referred to in article 6 of the Act. The provisions of article 6 (5) of the Act also stipulate that royalties received for a work continue to be protected throughout the author's lifetime and for 25 years from the date of his death.
134. Pursuant to the provisions of article 13 (1) of the Copyright Act, when an author dies, his literary copyright devolves on his legitimate heirs, unless bequeathed in his will to other individuals or specific organizations.