Foosiya Elaahi Cilmi gets ready to go to school in Hargeisa, Northwest Somalia (Somaliland).
UNICEF Worldwide. Somalia
Website: http://www.unicef.org/somalia/education_1372.html
c UNICEF SomaliaFoosiya/05-05-NWZa/S.Hunter
Foosiya Elaahi Cilmi gets ready to go to school in Hargeisa, Northwest Somalia (Somaliland).
Hargeisa, Somaliland, 16 June, 2005 - As Somalia and other countries rededicate themselves today, the Day of the African Child, to improving the welfare of their children, a girl in Northwest Somalia (`Somaliland') too is determined to do her bit by pursuing an education.
Foosiya Elaahi Cilmi, 12, lives in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland. She is one of nine children and lives in the centre of the city.
Her father was formerly a history teacher but now runs a small garage and her mother stays at home to look after the children. Foosiya attends a government primary school and is a grade six student. The school has 83 students in her class, 22 of whom are girls. She pays one dollar a month in school fees. Her syllabus includes Arabic, English, Islamic Studies, Maths, Somali, Science and Social Studies.
Foosiya, a bright and outgoing girl whose favourite subject is English, is doing well in her studies and hopes to one day become a secretary. For the moment however, her dream is to continue beyond primary for studies at a government secondary school. Though her elder siblings attend private schools, the family cannot afford the private school fees for Foosiya and the younger children.
Foosiya's day starts at six when she gets up to pray with her mother and the other children. Thereafter she takes her breakfast before making her way to school by foot. Classes begin at 7.30am and finish at 12.00. In the afternoons, she goes home to help her mother with the younger children and household chores. Once a week, she goes to play basketball at a sports centre for girls, the first of its kind in Somaliland. This is a welcome opportunity as girls are generally discouraged from playing sports and play separately from the boys at school. In addition, there are very few playgrounds in school so many girls find themselves spending their break-time in the classroom.
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Back at home after school, Foosiya Elaahi Cilmi holds her niece in their house in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
"When asked about the obstacles girls face at school, Foosiya says, "It is very difficult for us because there are so few girls. Sometimes girls can't answer questions because the boys control the classroom and we are too shy."
She says that break time is awkward because "our religion forbids us from playing with boys and we have no place to play separately."
On the high drop-out rate of girls from schools, Foosiya says one of the probable causes could be that "girls stay at home to help their mothers. There are some families who don't think education is important for girls." The benefits of education are very apparent to Foosiya who says, "Education is very important to me because it will help me get a good job one day and help me have a good life."
Foosiya's story is encouraging as statistics in Somaliland show that approximately 60% of girls drop out of education by the end of primary school. There is a huge discrepancy in the number of girls who attend school as opposed to boys. About 37% of children attend school in Somaliland - about 108,000 children of whom only 36,524 are girls. Only 11% of Somaliland's school teachers are female. The discrepancies are primarily due to traditional attitudes and economic considerations.
UNICEF has recognized the great vulnerability of Somali girls with regards to education and an advocacy campaign is being undertaken to get girls back to school and to encourage them to continue on to secondary education.
UNICEF hopes to get 33,000 more children back to school this year. Emphasis has also been placed on the need for greater gender sensitivity in schools and the need for more playgrounds so that girls can have a place to play separately from the boys.
UNICEF worked closely with the Somaliland Ministry of Education to develop the current national curriculum. In 2002, all primary school teachers were trained in the new syllabus and on improving their teaching skills and techniques. School mentors continue to monitor schools to ensure that new methods continue to be used in the classroom. UNICEF has provided textbooks for Grades 1 to 4 in all primary schools and has also helped establish Community Education Committees in schools which oversee security and school maintenance. UNICEF has also been involved in establishing non-formal education for children who cannot attend regular classes or who have dropped out.
These activities have made it possible for many children to have access to basic education thus enabling them to acquire skills and knowledge to help both personal development and the development of Somaliland.
For more information contact: Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF Resident Project Officer, Northwest Somalia, email: [email protected].
ISSUE
In Somalia today, only about 20% of primary school age children have access to formal education. Most youth are also without access to any basic education or learning opportunities and missed out on any basic education when they were children, due to the virtual collapse of the education system. Among those fortunate enough to have received some education, most have seen their progress hindered by conflict, lack of supplies and limited, if any, support from local education authorities. Both national and international agencies are seeking to change this situation but also see their efforts stalled by the combined constraints of insecurity, funding shortfalls and the sheer enormity of the problem.
Yet despite these complex challenges, significant progress has been made in the past few years. A new lower primary curriculum, textbooks and other child-centered teaching/learning materials developed in 2002 continue to be distributed annually to all operational schools. Over 7000 teachers were provided standardized in-service training in 2002. A pilot mentoring project for 1751 teachers has resulted in improved classroom practices and children's learning levels.
Yet while an initial and dramatic momentum was created in 2001-2 when the new curriculum was launched, which increased enrolment by 27%, the increase in enrollment saturated many schools, some of which currently have up to 100 children per class. The slowed enrollment in subsequent years is clearly due in part to the need for additional facilities to accommodate the increasing demand.
So although some progress has been made, significant challenges remain. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) remains among the lowest in the world and very little change has been seen over the past years; a majority of schools are concentrated in and around urban areas, effectively excluding children in remote rural locations, particularly nomadic children; drop-out rates, especially for girls, increase dramatically in the upper primary grades; gender related disparities are significant, with girls constituting only slightly over one third, or 35% of primary school pupils; female teachers only constitute about 13% of the total number of the teaching cadre. Overall, the sector suffers from severe limitations in managerial, technical and financial resources and a lack of consistency in standards.
While access to primary formal and non-formal education is very limited at present, the opportunities for advanced learning - including secondary and tertiary level education - are even more so. The current lack of options for higher education has a negative impact on the willingness of both parents and students to invest in primary education for their children, if the possibility of advancement does not exist. This is a priority for all partners involved in the sector.
Given this context, there is a need to continue focusing on expanding children's access to and learning from quality primary level education. This involves employment of a holistic approach that takes into account how each aspect of the education programme contributes to increasing the overall quality of education and children's access to it, and how other sectoral programmes can also play a pivotal role in the process.
ACTION
With the successes and constraints in mind, UNICEF and partners are committed to dramatically increasing enrollment and getting Somali children "Back to School". The activities outlined below will compliment, and be funded independently of, the ongoing education programme and serve to accelerate current activities to increase enrolment and improve the quality of education provided. In many cases, they will also require agencies to break from the past "business and usual" attitude and embrace new ideas as well as significantly increase funding resources.
* Advocacy and social mobilization at all levels (household, community, regional and policy) using all available channels and in collaboration with all partners.
* Promoting the campaign using high profile celebrations and events/Days including the Day of the African Child, Teachers Day, World AIDS Day, International Women's Day, Independence Day.
* Forming and promoting an "Education Week" for the registration of school age children.
* Using children as spokespeople for the campaign to highlight the importance of basic education, particularly for girls.
* Supporting school rehabilitation/construction and creation of child friendly learning environments based on the existing criteria currently accepted by all partners.
* Piloting girls-only schools.
* Using tents as classrooms, as a temporary measure, where no structures exist.
* Using monetary and in-kind inputs (free uniforms and school fees for girls, teacher incentives/salaries).
* Supporting local authorities in increasing the number of female teachers and providing salary incentives.
* Collaborating with WFP to provide school feeding and food-for-work programmes to support school enrollment and rehabilitation/construction of primary schools.
* Supporting `second shifts' in schools to allow for a great number of children to attend.
* Providing school equipment and supplies (Education Kits, textbooks, non-formal education materials and kits).
* Establishing `reading corners' in classrooms and providing supplementary reading materials to facilitate increased literacy levels.
* Promoting life skills and peace education.
* Providing strong support to local education authorities in the development and implementation of gender sensitive education policies and programmes toward increasing girl's enrollment and participation of girls and women.
* Supporting training on gender issues and the importance of gender equity within an overall rights-based framework.
* Assisting Community Education Committees in mobilizing communities to enroll all school age children.
* Strengthening safety nets for the most vulnerable children through fee exemptions and other support facilitated by strong community ownership/ decision making and management.
* Promoting the supply of clean water and the availability of sanitation facilities for both boys and girls.
* Supporting development and implementation of alternative primary level education programmes to reach increasing numbers of un-reached children in the primary school and out-of-school youth age groups.
* Supporting teacher training and teacher remuneration.
* Strengthening and systematizing the teaching of English as third language
* Strengthening coordination mechanisms within Somalia especially with national actors. (Local authorities, communities and NGOs will play a critical role in quality service provision while tapping on the rapidly expanding private sector.)
* Strengthening interagency collaboration with both national and international partners, including more direct linkages with national structures and mechanisms to ensure information and resource-sharing throughout the sector.
IMPACT
While UNICEF's Education Programme, and it's collaboration with the various national and international partners, is gradually improving quality and increasing enrollment, the progress is markedly slow.
Maintaining the current activities is important, but achieving universal education for all Somali children in the near future, and education for girls, requires a much more innovative and proactive approach.
The "Back to School" campaign provides that approach. Building on and complementing the ongoing regular education activities, the accelerated campaign will raise the profile of education throughout the country and excite interest in schooling while providing the much needed support to families that are currently without either the opportunity or means to education their children.
Remarkable progress through this campaign would also be a clear and present "success" for the new Transitional Federal Government - bringing them credibility and increasing the prospects for further progress toward political peace.
This campaign proposes solutions to the most pressing problems facing Somali families and communities - Is there a school close to my home? Is the school safe for my girl? Does the school have water and toilets? Can I afford it? Does the schedule allow for help in the household or with the livestock? Are the teachers good enough and will my child learn?
Will it improve my child's future?
Together with partners, communities and the children themselves, UNICEF wants to be able to say `Yes!' to all those questions, and plans to get all Somali children and youth "Back to School".
For more information contact: Noel Ihebuzor, Head of Education Programme, UNICEF Somalia, Email: nihebuzor@unicef. org
A girl leads a procession to commemorate the Day of the African Child in Hargeisa, Northwest Somalia ('Somaliland') on 16 June, 2005.
Hargeisa, Somaliland, 22 June 2005 - Parents must register all school age children irrespective of gender and social class," Somaliland's Minister for Education Mr Hassan Haji Mohamoud told the Day of the African Child (DAC) celebrations held on 16 June in Hargeisa, capital of Northwest Somalia (`Somaliland').
The DAC which was also marked in other locations in Somalia emphasized the need of Somalis to get children back to school with special focus on the needs of vulnerable children such as orphans and children of internally displaced communities. The Minister thanked UNICEF and other partners for the support they continued to provide to children and reaffirmed his administration's commitment to ensure that every child including those of internally displaced persons (IDPs), marginalized communities and girls get an education. UNICEF Somalia Education Officer, Noel Ihebuzor said the organization would assist Somaliland children realize their dreams for a better future through education. Besides the public, the ceremony was attended by members of the Somaliland Cabinet and staff of development agencies working in Somaliland.
UNICEF and the ministry are carrying out social mobilization as part of the Every Child Counts initiative that has the Back to School campaign as the cornerstone to ensuring children get an education. As part of the campaign, registration centres will be opened for parents to register their children for the school year that starts in September 2005. The Somaliland administration, UNICEF and NGOs will acontinue to support the construction of new schools and teacher training.
`'For the most vulnerable children, UNICEF provides support through the alternate education programme. Currently in collaboration with the World Food Programme, it is running a school feeding initiative,'' said Mr Ihebuzor. "It is our collective responsibility to make sure that vulnerable children also get the chance to pursue their dreams and goals."
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These young boys joined the DAC celebrations in Hargeisa on 16 June 2005 and they carried a banner expressing support for education.
The celebrations for the Day of the African Child which kicked off the Back to School Campaign in Hargeisa included a procession led by a band and a float through the streets. A drama on girls' education was staged by the Somaliland Culture and Sports Association (SOCSA). The Horn of Africa Voluntary Youth Organization Committee (HAVOYOCO) staged acrobatic performances. Though the circus has a female troupe, only the boys perform in public. A fifteen-year-old girl who attended the celebrations at Timacade Basket ball welcomed the Back to School campaign saying it was important to advocate for girls to attend school. A choir made up of orphans received applause from the crowd as they sang the Somaliland national anthem, a song dedicated to the Day of the African Child and another on orphaned children.
About the DAC
The Organization of African Unity (OAU- now the African Union) in 1990 declared 16 June 1991 as the first Day of the African Child, and enlisted UNICEF's assistance in promoting commemoration of the Day worldwide. In 1991-1997, Field Offices, National Committees and Headquarters undertook a series of initiatives in support of the commemoration. Other partners have included: Heads of State and Government and First Ladies, Parliaments, Government Ministries, inter-governmental organizations, municipal authorities, non-governmental organizations, churches and religious groups, women's groups and clan leaders, African embassies, private companies, and service organizations, schools, parent-teachers' associations and teacher's unions, youth clubs and scouts.
Partly as a result of advocacy associated with the Day of the African Child, considerable advances have been made in advocating for the rights and needs of African children since then. There has been strong evidence of support for the World Summit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action, as well as for the enactment of legislation incorporating provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into national statues. In many ways DAC has become a reference point for measuring the delivery of the promises made to children as Children's needs and child rights are increasingly being seen as two sides of the same coin: needs are a direct result of the denial of rights.
