Somalia stops registration of new universities

Somalia’s Ministry of Education said it will stop giving  accreditation to the new educational institutions in Mogadishu to control quality.

Mogadishu has seen an increase in privately owned educational institutions.

Ismail Yussuf, Director General of the Ministry of Education said licensing and accreditation for institutions to be recognised as universities will be completely stopped.

“The ministry stopped the registration of new universities because the number of high schools graduates can not satisfy the number of the operating universities and we need to ensure the quality of graduates meets world standards,”said Yussuf.

Regarding the quality of education, Ismail Yussuf said professional staff should be hired and basic facilities such as laboratories and libraries provided, in line with the country’s education regulations.

Somalia has only one public university which re-opened in 2014 after a 25 year hiatus since it closed after the collapse of government in 1991.

The lack of a national policy on higher education has also significantly contributed to the poor quality of education.