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On 15 March 2015, the Wad-Sherifey Refugee School on the Eritrea-Sudan border near Kassala, East Sudan, held another colourful school ceremony winding up its academic year for 2014-2015. The school-year started last June with 666 enrolled, of whom 577 students (262 of them female) continued their education till the final exams in which 89.25% were promoted to higher grades.

Attending the ceremony were, besides parents and family members of students, Sudanese education dignitaries Messrs Osman Ahmed and Isa Mohammed, as well as Wad-Sherifey residents, most of them youth. The conspicuous absence of Father/Abba Ghebrai Bedemariam, a friend of the school, was due to his travel outside the region.

The school closing ceremony, held in the morning hours, presented entertainment programs in the form of dramas, gags, folkloric songs and dances in Arabic, Tigrinia, Tigre and English.

Message of the students was read in Arabic my 5^th grade student, Ms Meryem Adem Osman. In her message, Meryem extended warm gratitude to all those who are supporting their education, in particular the generous donors and the school administration that continues to link the school with those who can help it. Parents and regional Sudanese government authorities were also warmly thanks for their goodwill to help and promote the education given by the school in a suitable curriculum adapted to Eritrean needs.  

The school director, Mr. Teklehaimanot Elfu, presented the message of the school administration in Tigrinia. The message was read in Arabic by Mohammed Saeed, a staff teaching member. The message provided information by the academic year that just ended and prospects ahead,

The school director also extended a heartfelt gratitude to supporters of the school, including the Dutch donors who funded the construction of the school buildings over a quarter of a century ago; the late Father Marino Haile of Milano, who with his team granted vital rehabilitation and revival assistance 10 years ago, and the Geneva-based charity, ASEE (Association Suisee-Enfance Erythree), which has been providing critical support to the continuation of the school since 2005. Likewise, the school director warmly thanks Abba Ghebrai Bedemariam for his unfailing closeness to the school; to the Eritrean Women’s Free Initiative in Germany which donated 1,000 of assistance in 2014 and the North America-based Eritrean Democratic Association (EDA) for its availability to respond to some needs of the school.

Mr. Teklehaimanot Elu also mentioned critical needs of the school from kind donors for the establishment of a school library and computer center for the students who have no access to expanded sources of education other than their limited textbooks.

The colourful ceremonies ended after listening to a poem in Tigrinai entitled Selam (Peace) and the disribution of prizes to 36 outstanding students by the school supervisor, Mr. Osman Ahmed.

The Wad-Sherifey Eritrean Refugee School was started by the Eritrean Red Cross-Crescent Society (ERCCS) in 1984, and for the last 31 years it has has been enrolling up to 800 children annually, mainly in grades 1 to 6 taught in Arabic and Tigrinia. A limited number of students attend grades 7 and 8, taught in English.