Zaynab Mohammed

A Sudanese educator and suffragist who promoted girls' education and women's suffrage in a male-dominated society.

Zaynab Mohammed: Sudan’s Unsung Champion of Women’s Education

Zaynab Mohammed (1905–1982) broke barriers in Sudan by establishing the nation’s first girls’ school in 1935. Born to a family of teachers in Omdurman, she secretly taught girls during British colonial rule, which banned female education. Her Al-Ma’arif Girls’ School grew to 300 students by 1940, despite government raids. Mohammed co-founded the Sudanese Women’s Union in 1952, demanding voting rights for women. Her 1956 petition to the Sudanese parliament led to the inclusion of women’s suffrage in the new constitution. She later trained 200 female teachers through the "Women’s Education Corps", which operated until 1975. Mohammed’s advocacy is documented in the Sudan Heritage Archives, and her portrait appears on Sudan’s 2020 educational currency series. Her 1968 speech "Education is the Sword" remains a feminist manifesto in African studies.