India Suggests Adopting 'DIKSHA' Model for Sudan's Education at UN

India Proposes Digital Education Model for Sudan at UN High-Level Meeting

At a high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) titled 'Protecting Education in Conflict: Investing in Peace, Recovery and Stability,' India presented practical suggestions to overcome the severe crisis in Sudan's education sector. Aldos Mathew Punnus, Counselor at India's Permanent Mission to the UN, emphasized the importance of restoring education for children in Sudan, highlighting the necessity of ensuring displacement, security, and access to food and medicine.

Counselor Punnus strongly condemned attacks on educational infrastructure in Sudan due to recent conflicts and demanded accountability for such incidents. He stated that security cannot be effective without accountability, and those targeting educational institutions should not be spared. Citing UN data, he noted that over 17 million children in Sudan have been affected by three years of conflict, with a 57 percent increase in attacks on schools.

Ensuring Educational Continuity Through Digital Means

India specifically proposed the use of digital technologies to maintain educational continuity in areas where physical schools have been destroyed by war. In this context, Counselor Punnus presented India's 'DIKSHA' (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) platform as an example. He explained how India has successfully achieved knowledge sharing and education delivery through this digital platform, suggesting a similar model could be adopted in Sudan.

Punnus also mentioned a prosthetic limb camp organized by India for 600 beneficiaries in Sudan. He highlighted that digital infrastructure (DPI) can play a crucial role in bridging educational gaps where physical infrastructure has been damaged. This suggestion from India underscores efforts to prioritize education and secure the future of children in Sudan's current fragile situation.