Five-day National Education Conference opens today in Mogadishu

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: A five-day national conference on education in Somalia is opening in Mogadishu today where President Hassan Sheikh will deliver keynote remarks.

According to the programme of events seen by Goobjoog News, the conference which brings together over 250 participants from the education sector is hinged on the theme ‘Transforming Society through Relevant and Quality Education.’

A background note for the event noted that the conference ‘intends to seek practical ideas and recommendations that envisage organized, accessible, quality, and inclusive education anchored in the national needs, values, and aspirations.’

According to the Ministry of Education, only 24% of formal primary school-aged children and 22% of formal secondary school-aged children attend school. UNICEF estimates that 3 million school-age children are out of formal schooling, which is more than 70% of the school-age population.

Some of the key issues to be discussed at the conference include national education goals and outcomes, education as a national agenda, governing education in a post-conflict context and the role of art and media in education. Others are governance and financing of education, quality higher education, decentralization and financing of education, inclusive teacher development, recruitment and retention

The conference brings together stakeholders in the education sector among them current and former education ministers, ministers from the Federal Member States, and education experts among others.