A report to assess the extent to which the Somali education system
contributes to its development.
Terms of Reference
Aimed towards the Somali Federal Government- specifically the ministry for education and its leader
Ahmed Mohamad Gurase.
This is because they have a greater power to influence change throughout the whole of Somalia
rather than NGOs who can only target small areas at a time which may not have a huge impact on
overall development.
Key ideas being discussed include the idea that a stable and organised education system being
crucial for development is in line with theme 6.3 (The education of a population is integral to its
development). There is also the issue that education system still promotes inequalities and in turn
hinders development through this- this ties in with key themes 2.4 (certain social groups experience
inequality) and 6.2 (women have a significant role to play in development). Finally this report aims to
help understand the reasons why the education system is failing and why children are not attending
schools which could be due to poverty - linking in with key theme 2.3 (international debt has
hindered some countries' ability of address poverty and inequality). Need to add another key theme
Introduction
Development occurs with the use of resources, natural and human, to achieve higher standards of
living. Once focused solely on economic factors, now encompasses social measures and ideas such
as freedom, the term development refers to improvements in a number of different characteristics
of a population. This can be measured through indicators such as GDP, GNP, HDI, literacy rate,
unemployment, life expectancy and infant mortality rate. Development of a country can suggest
economic, demographic, social and political changes. Sustainable development, however, is a
pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that
these needs can be met not only in the present, but also available for future generations to come.
Education is a factor, crucial for sustainable development in which people can use it as a tool to not
only improve their standard of living but to innovate and learn how to live in a more sustainable and
environment. Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the
west, Djibouti to the northwest, the Gulf of Aden to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, and
Kenya to the southwest. IT is an extremely underdeveloped country with (as of 2009 the most recent
data) a HDI of 0.364 being ranked 229 worldwide. One reason for this, it could be argued is due to its
lack of an official education system and therefore changes to this need to be made in order to begin
development for a sustainable future.
Fig. 1
A table showing Somalia’s HDI
and its rank in regards to the rest
of the world as of 2009.
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key
concepts:


the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which
overriding priority should be given; and
The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet present and future needs.
Fig. 2 Social Environmental and Economic factors working together to produce sustainability
Education and sustainable development
Education is essential for achieving sustainability. Research shows that basic education is key to a
nation's ability to develop and achieve sustainability targets. Research has shown that education can
improve agricultural productivity, enhance the status of women, reduce population growth rates,
enhance environmental protection, and generally raise the standard of living.
Link between Education and development
A good national education system is essential for development as it provides a young population
with the skills needed to help themselves out of poverty and into prosperity. This is because
educated people are more likely to be better prepared to fight diseases and use healthcare services
effectively, educated people in developing countries are also likely to earn 10% more than the
average wage with would contribute to national economic growth (no country has ever achieved
continuous and rapid growth without achieving an adult literacy rate of at least 40%), education also
supports the growth of civil democracy and political stability allowing people to learn their rights and
execute them and finally the education of girls and women yields benefits beyond the individual and
the community; it has been found that A woman with six or more years of education is more likely
to seek prenatal care, assisted childbirth, and postnatal care, reducing the risk of maternal and child
mortality and illness and educated mothers are 50% more likely to immunize their children than
mothers with no schooling.
Somalia
Fig.3 and 4
A map of Africa and
Somalia.
Shown on Figure 3 and 4, the country of Somalia located on the east coast of Africa. Somalia has the
longest coastline on the continent's mainland, and its terrain consists mainly of plateaus, plains and
highlands. Climatically, hot conditions prevail year-round, with periodic monsoon winds and
irregular rainfall. The capital is Mogadishu and it has other major cities such as Hargeisa, Merca, Oog
and Beer. The languages on the population mainly include Somali (official), Arabic (official,
according to the Transitional Federal Charter), Italian, and English and the main
religion is Sunni Muslim (Islam).
Somalia’s Development
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One of the five least developed in the world accordi ng to hdi (see fig.1)
Worst gender inequality due to pervasive tradition like polygamy.
Conflict has affected the economy and main source of income is aid.
75% females are illiterate, very low school attendance.
Life expectancy 51. IMR 108/1000
Education in Somalia (all this section needs to be typed properly and I will get rid of
the picture)
Problem:
-Decades of civil war and the collapse of the central government have left Somalia’s
education system in ruins. 90% of schools destroyed in civil war.
-With no education system or schools to attend, two generations of Somali children
did not have an opportunity to go to school. Adult literacy rate of 37% (one of the worst in the
world.)
-There is no organized education system in Somalia and many of the schools run by
local and international so this scenario have to be changed and the government should establish a
curriculum that will follow the entire education sectors in Somalia, there are also different education
umbrellas and Each umbrella has its own rules and regulation, policy, curriculum, academic year,
student uniform, education system and certificate, and there is no high education commission in
Somalia which controls or evaluate all these education systems..
-There are no public schools and all the schools are privately owned.
-Even in school pupils still face these challenges:
-36% of students in Somalia are girls
-Unqualified teaches with a teacher pupil ratio of 1:33
Fig. 5
A graph to show education trends
in Somalia (2005)
Education and poverty
Poverty in Somalia has become a prominent and continuing affair. People in Somalia, have
acclimatized to the consequences of poverty. Approximately, 43% of Somalia's population live below
the poverty line. Poverty in Somalia is more pronounced in the rural areas than in the urban regions.
Two specific regions of Somalia; Somaliland, located in the north west and Puntland, located in the
north east, experience more stability with regard to socio economic conditions. Stability in the two
areas may be attributed to the fact that, Somaliland and Puntland have independent governing
bodies.
In spite of the long civil upheaval to the education and social system in whole of Somalia, significant
positive steps have been taken in Somaliland to restore stability and revitalise education. This is
mainly attributed to the demonstration of compromise politics among clan leaders, which has
resulted in the relatively stable, de facto independent State of Somaliland. This has, in turn, allowed
education and other development sectors to function as early as 1992. Local and international NGOs
have had significant involvement in the rehabilitation and development of Somaliland’s education.
Somaliland is 29% in poverty.
There is obviously a positive correlation between education and poverty as shown by Somaliland. As
Somaliland education improved so did the amount of people below the poverty line. This is shown as
in the rest of Somalia where education is poor and very few are educated the amount of people
below the poverty line is 43% whereas in an area of improving levels of education like Somaliland
the amount of people below the poverty line is only 29%.
This is because a stable education enables individuals to learn the skills needed to become employed
and earn higher wages especially in more legitimate ways than a lot of Somalian people who turn to
piracy. It also enables people to understand the importance of looking after themselves and staying
well and how to avoid illness which will keep them in work to have a steady income for their
families.
Education and Women
Role of women in Somalia?
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Violence against women in Somalia is the highest in Africa, according Mogadishu's
Somali Women Development Centre, which provides support to victims.
One of the most dangerous things a woman in Somalia can do is to become pregnant.
When she does, her chances of survival drop considerably due to the nonexistent
antenatal care, nonexistent medical supplies, the extraordinarily poor healthcare
available and the lack of infrastructure. A woman's lifetime risk of dying from
maternal causes here is 1 in 14. This is one of the highest rates in the world, second
only to Afghanistan.
the ubiquitous practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) – something 95% of girls
aged 4 to 11 face – make women's lives in Somalia almost unlivable.

Women in education in Somalia?
 Only 15 per cent of the teaching force are women with the majority being unqualified
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Overall school enrollment over the last eight years, only 710,860 children out of
an estimated 1.7 million of primary school age children – 42 per cent of children –
are in school. Of those at school, 36 per cent are girls, according to UNICEF
report. Displaced Somalis attend a lesson in southern Mogadishu’s Manahijta
elementary school. [Mustafa Abdi/AFP]
The number of female students in Universities is also very little compared to male
students.
Some parents believe that the end of girl’s education is the home of her husband
and not expect to see the benefits, so they better prioritize educating boys who
they see as a supportive.
How can educated women help development?
Need to do this
Improve economy
Need to do this
Conclusion
Need to do this
Recommendations
 Need to do this
Bibliography
NEED TO ORGANISE
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