National Education Conference: Expanding access and quality education in Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: In pursuit of its vision to rebuild the Somali state, the Federal Government kicked off the country’s National Education Conference to bolster one of the key institutions of any nation, the education sector. The conference was opened by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud who streamlined in his presidential manifesto in May 2022 the goal to expand access to education to children of all ages.

The President’s manifesto was also anchored in a commitment to bolster access, quality and management of education in the country. At the opening of the conference, the president called on the government to actualise equal opportunity for all Somalis to quality education and to revise the national curriculum to better suit it to the specific Somali context.

It is also worth noting from the onset that the president, prime minister Hamza Abdi Barre and the Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Farah Abdulkadir are long-time education personnel. In his opening speech, President Mohamud said he was foremost a student who along with the education minister made strides in education that are unprecedented in the country’s history. Together, the president, the prime minister and the education minister were instrumental in the foundation of the most prestigious university in Somalia, Simad University.

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

The president also added at the conference that the current administration plans to raise the number of enrolled students in the country’s education sector. He added that this access should also be extended to the pastoralist and marginalized communities who are in dire need of educational services. Additionally, cognizant of the role of teachers in the education sector, the president expressed the government’s plan to provide expert training opportunities to at least 10,000 Somali teachers across the country. This plan is also part of the current administration’s effort to achieve political stability, socio-economic development and national prosperity for the country.

A total of 450 participants were present at the conference held at Jazeera palace Hotel among them education stakeholders, parents and representatives from the federal and state governments in addition to the members of the international community.

Education minister Farah Abdulkadir also reiterated the president’s point that every child must have access to quality education, regardless of age and background. He also added that education remains the foundation and the cornerstone of a thriving society and a prosperous future.

KEY OUTCOMES

Among the outcome of this National Education Conference are the following summed up. Firstly, the highest priority ought to be given by the ministry to quality basic education that is affordable to all students across the country. Additionally, the status of the Quran in the education sector, should be reviewed in a bid to provide integrated education, especially in grades 1-4. The ministries of Education and Religious Affairs were tasked to investigate the conditions and challenges in Quran schools. Kindergarten curriculum and education are also to be improved and developed under the ministry of education’s plan.

Secondly, higher education will be prioritized according to the needs of the community as well as integrating education into the curriculum. Private investors and donors are also encouraged to invest in the high school education sector to develop it. Thirdly, as mentioned above, special attention is given to the training of the teaching personnel to equip the teachers. Fourthly is the focus on the private education sector i.e., private schools. The ministry to this end strongly will promote private education and establish world-class private schools to respond to the growing demand for education services. furthermore, private education schools ought to emphasize science, technology, engineering, mathematics and Languages.

Fifthly, the education sector ought to also focus on the advancement and progress of the Somali language. Sixthly, cognizant of the role of media in the advancement of the specific government sector, the minister of education suggested that the government media should be used to broadcast education and focus on the operation and utilization of different types of media to educate the public about the importance of education. Another outcome of the conference was that special needs and disabilities students’ needs ought to be on the priority list of the education sector.