Educational Heritage Project

Somalia

Page history last edited by Jennifer 3 yrs ago

National Overview: Somalia
School Structure
Culture of the Classroom
Access to Education
Personal Interviews
Sources

National Overview: Somalia

Definition of Literacy -- over the age 15 can read and write

Written or Oral Language – Somalia has a written and oral language

Literacy rate -- Female: 25%; Male: 49%

Total expenditure on education -- Schools are privately funded

Script/Alphabet used -- Somali was originally written in Arabic script, but the Latin has been adopted as the official script.

Occupational distribution -- Agriculture is the most important industry with livestock accounting for 40% of the GDP

Overview of Education -- Somalia is still in a state of political instability. Because of this, education is often scattered or incomplete. Most children attend Madrassa, a Muslim primary school, but few go on to secular secondary school. In addition to political barriers, Somali schools also suffer from lack of financial support. Many schools have closed making it virtually impossible for some students to reach school without risking their safety by traveling long distances.

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School Structure

Primary School

Length: 6 years
Age level: 6 -12 years old

General Secondary School

Length: 4 years
Age level: 13 -17 years old

Higher Education

Higher education institutions are beginning to reopen, but they are still not all operating

Compulsory or Optional -- School is compulsory from age 6 to age 14.

Public or private -- Since the collapse of the government schools have been privately run, but they are free of charge to students. Funding often comes from international Islamic charities

School Attendance -- Female: 10%, Male: 12%; Secondary: only males (1%)

Percent Education level achieved -- Children reaching grade 5: Female 77%, Male 78%

Post-Secondary Opportunities -- Degrees in science are popular among Somali. However, because of the civil war, many students had to immigrate to other countries to finish their studies. Recently, universities in Somalia have begun to reopen. However, many students who would like to go to university do not have sufficient funds to do so.

Pupil to teacher ratio -- there are generally about 30 students in a classroom with one teacher

Teacher Qualifications -- teachers are scholars in Islam and usually college educated

Languages in School -- Arabic, English, Italian, Somali

Method of instruction and Subjects/Curriculum -- students mostly learn by dictation from the teacher

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Culture of the Classroom

Physical Environment -- Schools are often very far away from the child’s home. The buildings are generally run down. Half of the schools in Somalia do not have latrines and the other half rarely have more than one.

Discipline -– teachers are very strict in the classroom. If a student misbehaves a teacher may hit him/her on the fingers or make him/her stand for two hours

Gender roles in classroom -- Females are viewed as subordinate to men so males are often favored in schools. Females and males are not in the same classroom

Parent involvement/Parent Role in Education -- parents often help their children with their homework and meet with teacher’s to discuss the student’s progress.

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Access to Education

Educational barriers -- Many older students must travel long distances to go to secondary school. Many schools have closed down.

Gender access -- The subordinate role of women in society carries over into the schools. There are a decreased number of female teachers and much of the curriculum is gender biased.

Socio-political influences -- Because of the lack of governance and persistent instability many of the schools have suffered.

Progress -- Somalia is still very much in transition. There have been some gains in education in recent years, but because of the changeability of the political situation of the country it is hard to say whether or not these gains are permanent.

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