Exams start afresh in Somalia after cancellation

Thousands of students are sitting for final exams afresh today after the previous one was cancelled over what the ministry of education termed as ‘widespread leakage’.

According to the Education ministry, 31,000 students in all Federal Member States save for Puntland are sitting for the exams which will run for five days.

It has also emerged that the government backpedalled on its earlier warning to shut down social media in the country. While announcing the cancellation of the exams mid this month, Education minister Abdullahi Barre said the government will shut down social media access to tame the leakage but received harsh criticism from the civil society.

Social media shut-down ridiculous-Amnesty International

Amnesty International termed the planned shut down ‘ridiculous’.

Amnesty International deputy regional director for East Africa Seif Magango said it was wrong for the government to subject the whole country to a social media shut down ‘after failing its duty’.

“It is ridiculous that the government would consider shutting down social media communications for the entire country after failing in its duty to secure the content of exam papers,” said Magango.