Introduction: This brief note highlights some of the challenges of quality education in Somaliland. It is noted that from 2001 and 2010, most policymakers concerned with the education system in Somaliland, limited their attention to school access or enrolments.
However, over the years, it became clear that access to schools was not sufficient to ensure a decent level of basic learning. While the gains in enrolment had been quite impressive in many parts of Somaliland, including the far eastern Regions, low quality and high dropout rates led to the perception that many of the children left school without having obtained a sustainable level of basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills.
The rising concern with quality education in Somaliland is strongly reflected across out Regions in Somaliland,as well as all educational institutions such as Universities, etc, and it is perceived that ensuring education quality is a necessary complement to educational access and hence quantity and quality had to go hand in hand in Somaliland’s education system.
Key priority areas are understanding how to make Somaliland’s education systems more inclusive and equitable. This will seek to consolidate evidence on access to schooling, and quality of learning among marginalized populations and explore the influences of management and administrative practices in Schools, Colleges, Universities, etc. This includes developing and evaluating interventions and instructional approaches for improving quality and learning outcomes.
Key Problems with the Somaliland Education System are as Following: ➢ Somaliland Education System Promotes Rat Race
➢ Somaliland not developing the persona of child
➢ There is no critical analysis of anything
➢ Teachers Themselves are Not Trained and Efficient
➢ There is a problem with the medium of language of Somaliland Education System ➢ Education Provided in Somaliland is Irrelevant or not projecting to Job-Market
➢ Missing Innovation concept & Creation, as Only Aping west or imitating with western culture.
➢ Somaliland Students are expecting high paid salaries after their graduation, but not willing to be Entrepreneurs
➢ Gross Failure of Somaliland Education System to End Social Disparity
Causes of the Poor Quality Education in Somaliland
1- What are the causes of poor-quality education?
2- What is wrong with the education system in Somaliland?
3- What are the causes and the effects of a poor education?
4- What causes poor education in Somaliland?
5- What are the challenges of quality education?
6- What are the factors of quality education?
7- How does education impact the future of Somaliland young people? 8- Why is the Somaliland education system is so poor?
9- What is the meaning of quality education?
10- Why does quality education matter?
11- What are the four components of education?
12- What are the three causes of poverty?
13- How can Public Schools in Somaliland Improve Quality of Education? Other Causes of Poor Quality Education in Somaliland?
- Poverty and Lack of Access
- Low Economy of Somaliland, and Beyond.
- Lack of Qualified Teachers or Having Teachers Untrained.
- No Classroom or Poor Infrastructure
- Lack of Appropriate Materials for Education
- Denied Education for Children with Disabilities.
What are the Causes and the Effects of a Poor Quality Education? People who lack education have trouble getting ahead in life, have worse health, and are poorer than the well-educated. Major effects of lack of education include poor health, lack of a voice, shorter lifespan, unemployment, exploitation, and gender inequality.
What Causes Poor Education in Somaliland?
The causes of Somaliland’s low quality of education are complex and multifaceted. The consensus in the literature is that inadequate funding is not the primary cause of lagging performance, although the distribution of resources may be problematic. Somaliland spends less then 13% of the Government budget on Education.
What are the Challenges Facing of Quality Education in Somaliland?
Identifying and addressing Challenges in Quality Education
➢ Absent of effectiveness of any system, including education, depends upon both its quantity and quality aspects.
➢ Introduction of Measurement and Change it self
➢ Poor Quality of Teachers.
➢ Remedies- (Set right or amend for an undesirable situation)
➢ Lack of resources
➢ Poor Quality of Learners
What are the 3-Key Causes of Poverty?
Let us look at some of the top causes of poverty around the world:
➢ Inadequate access to clean water and nutritious food.
➢ Little or no access to livelihoods or jobs.
➢ Conflict Issues
➢ Inequality.
➢ Poor education.
➢ Lack of infrastructure.
➢ The limited capacity of the Government.
➢ Issues of Climate change
How Does Education Impact Our Future?
We gain knowledge, skills, and experience to help you both in your career and in life in general. On top of that, by gaining additional skills in communication and problem solving, and achieving your goals, you can also increase your confidence.
What is Wrong with the Education System in Somaliland?
Somaliland’s education system, characterized by crumbling infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and relatively poor educational outcomes, is perpetuating inequality and as a result failing too many of its children, in rural and urban areas
Why is Education Poor in Somaliland?
Lack of proper facilities and educators
Another reason for the low education rates in Somaliland is the lack of proper schooling facilities and unequal opportunities for education across countries. Many schools across Somaliland find it hard to employ teachers due to the low pay and lack of suitable people What is the Meaning of Quality Education?
Quality education is one that focuses on the whole child—the social, emotional, mental, physical, and cognitive development of each student regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. It prepares the child for life, not just for testing.
Why Does Quality Education Matter?
Recent research shows that high-quality, early learning experiences can improve a child’s health, social-emotional skills, and academic readiness for school. Furthermore, children are more likely to graduate high school, pursue higher education or job training, and earn higher incomes
What are the four components of education?
Four Core Components of Education.
➢ Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment. (This involves a student-centered, personalized approach to instruction)
➢ Infrastructure and Technology, which requires forward-thinking technology vision, led from the top.
➢ Policies, Procedures, and Management. This includes
➢ Quality & Appropriate Leadership, People, and Culture.
How can Somaliland Public Schools Improve Quality of Education? Ensure those classroom strategies for improvement address the needs of students at all levels of learning. Assess students in a variety of ways and develop strategies for improving the level of student achievement. Focused Professional development (Empowering teachers). Cultural competence and culturally responsive).
Key Stages of Education in Somaliland:
The Republic of Somaliland, commonly known as Somaliland, is located in the Horn of Africa. It currently has a population of around 5.5 million people, and this population, many young Somalilanders have struggled to receive a proper quality education, even at the primary level.
Although, the Ministry of Education & Science in Somaliland’s commitment of awareness and assistance on education opportunities are sincerely becoming more widespread. Also, both INGOs and local NGOs are helping Somaliland children gain access to better educational opportunities to ensure a better quality of life.
Listed below are key stages of the education process in Somaliland is based; By getting to know the current status of Somaliland Education and its origins, the country can make more progress to improve the quality of educational climate for Somaliland children and young people.
➢ The Educational system in Somaliland consists of the following five phases: ✓ Primary (grades one to four),
✓ Middle (grades five to eight),
✓ Secondary (grades nine to 12: Form-1 to Form-4),
✓ Technical, tertiary, and higher education (ages 18+)
➢ A primary cause of the lack of educational resources in Somaliland is due to the civil war period between 1985 – 1991. This directly impacted the educational system in the country, leaving many young people displaced from the classroom, as well as many teachers are uncertified for their job, even over two decades later.
➢ Historically, Somaliland people have learned by word rather than written language. For many years, the Somali language had no script. Eventually, the adoption and acceptance of the Latin script occurred in Jan. 1972, following the recommendation.
➢ Compared to other countries, Somaliland has one of the lowest enrollment rates of primary school children. Elementary School-aged children make up roughly 0.6 million of Somaliland’s population, but only 37% percent attend Schools.
➢ Funding for primary education efforts is in progress, as in the last 10 years, the Government of Somaliland, each year was increasing the budget for primary education, mainly for reforming and improving the Somaliland education system.
Ministry of Education in Somaliland has created a five-year program to increase access to quality education and support accelerated learning for out-of-school children and youth who have been persistently left behind.
➢ From- 2019, as many as one million new textbooks have been printed in efforts toward Teach and Learn effort in Somaliland. These new books cover topics that are relevant to Somaliland life and culture, such as the English and Arabic languages, mathematics, Islamic studies, and science.
➢ Somaliland’s education funding effort does not only rely on the Government of Somaliland, but INGOs, also provide funding for assisting primary education programmes for School-age children in Somaliland.
➢ Somaliland teachers have responded positively to the implementation of the new education development system and praised the reforming curriculum for its ability to be centered around Somaliland’s religion and culture.
These key stages about education in Somaliland show that the Government of Somaliland and the INGOs are making substantial efforts for the current and future generations of Somaliland children.
Providing them with better education will assist in reducing the existing level of poverty in Somaliland, and additionally, it will also allow the Somaliland people to achieve and enjoy a higher quality of life.
Focusing and improving the following key areas in the Somaliland Education System is going to strengthen the teeth of Somaliland education system.
✓ Student Enrolment System and Its Process
✓ Retention system on all related sides not only the student side issues
✓ Student Achievement issues on all related stakeholders, not the student side only.
✓ Final destination system on student whereabout
Compiled by Faisal Badhadhe
