Access to Education in Somalia: Expanding Primary and Secondary Education in the Midst of Conflict Posted on October 10, 2010 at 01:45:59 AM by mb3
Access to Education in Somalia: Expanding Primary and Secondary Education in the Midst of Conflict
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 54th Annual Conference of the Comparative and Education Society, Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, Feb 28, 2010. Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The country of Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991. With this lack of government presence and control comes a lack of organized education. Since 1998 schools have tried opening, but have had trouble remaining open due to continuing conflict, causing a major lack of education access at both the primary and secondary levels. My analysis concludes that one way to increase education access in Somalia in a sustainable way is replicating the Koranic school model of Somalia and open government-funded Islamic primary and secondary schools throughout Somalia, especially in the Central/Southern region of the country, where the capital of Mogadishu is located. By creating a religious school system, it is more likely that the school buildings and classes will be better respected and not intruded by militaries or Somali militia.
OBJECTIVES OR PURPOSES OF THE STUDY
This paper examines the lack of access to primary and secondary education in Somalia due to conflict and lack of a stable government. It presents the main reasons for lack of access in primary school as the danger of getting to and from school, as well as military and militia interruptions during the school day, and the inability for primary schools to remain open throughout the school year because of conflict. It also presents the main reasons for lack of access in secondary school as the lack of secondary school buildings in the country. Data on the numbers of children enrolled in school as well as the number of physical school buildings located in the country is presented to support the reasons of lack of education access. The paper attempts to solve the problem of education access in Somalia by presenting a plan and implementation of government-run Islamic schools.
THESIS STATEMENT
In order to expand education access in Somalia, two problems need to be addressed: having enough classrooms to meet the demand of education as well as ensuring students’ safety once in the classroom. The way to solve this problem is through integrating Islamic education into the public school system. This would transform school buildings into religious centers, putting them in less danger of militia and military takeovers. By having these Islamic schools run by the government, the government can decide where and how many schools will be built throughout Somalia.
PERSPECTIVE(S) OR THEORETICAL/CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
In this paper I examine access to education in conflict-ridden Somalia. In order to successfully explain the current problem of education access in Somalia, a brief history of Somalia, as well as the current situation of conflict, is discussed. Three stages of education in Somalia are introduced in the paper: the traditional stage, the colonial stage, and the post-colonial stage. I propose a new stage, the reconstruction stage, and focus on reconstructing – and reimagining – education in Somalia by increasing access at both the primary and secondary levels. This increased access comes in the form of government-run Islamic education. As Koranic schools have survived most of the turmoil in Somalia due to the religious importance of the schools, introducing religion into academic settings should increase the longevity and sustainability of these new government-led schools. As the current president of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad, was a secondary school teacher in Mogadishu and has promised to bring peace and unity to Somalia, the president could influence and help create this new policy of Somali education.
MODES OF INQUIRY, METHODS AND DATA SOURCE
Statistical data for this paper was obtained from UNESCO, UNICEF, and World Bank databases. Many Education for All reports were also evaluated. In addition, through EBSCO Host, I was able to pull academic articles from various journals, including but not limited to Compare, Review of Education, and Globalisation, Societies, and Education. I used all of these resources to get accurate information on the country of Somalia, current education situation in Somalia, and Islamic education in Africa.
KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
Introducing Islamic education into current elementary schools, as well as opening new Islamic secondary schools, will increase education access in Somalia. An interesting finding to my research is that by introducing Islamic education as the primary form of public education in Somalia, it is creating a certain form of upward mobility for Somalis, as a new wave of Somali universities has spread throughout Africa. Therefore, expanding education access in Somalia not only gives Somali youth the opportunity to an education, it also allows them an opportunity to advance to higher education at Islamic Universities in Africa.
CONTRIBUTION AND FUTURE DIRECTION
The findings in this paper offer a conclusion that may be controversial in today’s world. It finds that a government-funded Islamic education system can increase education access in Somalia. However, it integrates religion into public schools, which is something that funding agencies may not support – proving problematic for Somalia, which is and will be in need of external funding. Also, because of recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Western world (and United States in particular) will be extremely skeptical of the implications and outcomes of a government specifically trying to create Islamic schools as the public school option for Somali youth. The arguments and findings in this paper will force people to re-identify and reimagine what education means and how, in certain situations, education needs to completely adapt to the culture and country to which it serves.
REFERENCES
Abdi, A., A. (1998). Education in Somalia: history, destruction, and calls for reconstruction. Comparative Education, 34(3), 327-340.
Bennaars, G. A., Seif, H. A., Mwangi, D. (1996). The Somalia country case study: Mid-decade review of progress towards Education for All. Paris, France: UNESCO. 44 pages.
Inside Somalia (2008). 34 Schools Close Due to Violence in Mogadishu District. Inside Somalia. Retrieved from http://insidesomalia.org
UNESCO (2006). Fact Book on Education for All (EFA). Nairobi, Kenya: UNESCO. 71 pages.
UNICEF (2008). Education statistics: Somalia. Division of Policy and Practice, Statistics and Monitoring Section. 2 pages.
Warsame, A., A. (2001). How a strong government backed an African language: The lessons of Somalia, Review of Education, 47(3-4), 341-360.
World Bank (2009). Education Trends and Comparisons. Somalia Country Profile. World Bank EdStats.
Xinhua (2007). Africa Feature: Mogadishu schools reopen despite violence. People’s Daily Online. Retrieved from http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6235055.html