Somalia's schools get exams worth sitting
26 August 2008
It is a common enough sight: neat rows of desks with one student at each desk, an invigilator walking between them, checking the time on the clock and watching the students as they complete the examination.
Nothing unusual, except that this scene isn't taking place in Europe or America: it is happening in Somalia. Until a few years ago this was a very unusual sight in this country, which has been suffering from civil war since 1991. Yet today many young Somali men and women are sitting for school examinations.
Certificates that count
Education is a high priority for young people throughout Somalia. They see it
as essential, not only for peace and stabilisation but also for their own
futures. And they know that it has to be a real education, one that is of a high
enough quality to be recognised and accepted not only in Somalia but across the
region as a whole.
That is why DFID is supporting the Africa Educational Trust to help the
ministries of education in the regions of Somaliland and Puntland to establish reliable examinations. Good quality primary and
secondary leaving examinations give children and young people goals to work
towards and ensure that they have something concrete to show for their
education.
Before DFID's involvement began in 2004 the education system in Somalia was very
inadequate and a lot of work still needs to be done to tackle rampant
illiteracy and poor enrolment figures. However, things are changing. Now when
students pass their exams they receive certificates which are accepted by
employers and universities both in Somalia and in neighbouring countries such as
Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia.
On to higher education
Thanks to her results in the Puntland Secondary examinations Muna Osman is
studying for a diploma in journalism at the Kenya Institute of Mass
Communication. She has also managed to complete a successful attachment working
with the BBC. “I’ll be one of the most important people in town," she says with
a smile, while talking about her desire to return home to Gabely in Somaliland.
Saado Mohamed has benefited from the new exam system too. Passing her Form 4
Secondary School Leaving Examinations meant she was accepted for a degree in
information technology at Kampala International University in Uganda.
She says of her new experience: "People here are very kind. I’ve come to a
new environment and I’m living a new life without my family. It’s very unusual
in Somaliland for a young girl to live apart from her family."
Adding that she has no fears about returning home, she says: "I’m in a hurry to
go back and find work. When I get back home I want to get a job as director of a
networking company or agency."
Facts and stats
- The first phase of DFID’s Somaliland Exam Systems Strengthening project began in late 2004 and ended in March 2007. DFID provided £1.13 million.
- The second phase started in June 2007 and will be rolled out across Somalia. DFID is providing a further £999,000 over two years.
- In 2006 a total of 6,200 students in Somaliland and Puntland sat for the Grade 8 Primary Leaving Examinations and 3,000 sat for the Form 4 Secondary School Leaving Examinations.
- More than 150 students who passed their Form 4 Examinations are now studying to become secondary school teachers at Amoud University in Somaliland.
- Over 80% of people in Somalia are illiterate and less than 30% of school-age children are enrolled in school. Less than 25% of 12 to 16-year-olds are enrolled in secondary schools in Somaliland and Puntland.
- Somaliland is located in the north west of Somalia. It claimed independence from Somalia in 1994 but is not internationally recognized as a separate state.
- Puntland is a self-declared autonomous state in the north of Somalia, which has been self-governing since 1998, but does not aim at independence.
