Somaliland Child Education: An Emerging Model in the Horn of Africa
Somaliland covers an area of 137,600 kilometers and shares a broader with Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Hargeisa is the political and commercial capital of Somaliland. School education system of Somaliland is playing a vital role for the cognitive, social and emotional growth of children and is responsible for the overall well being of children. In Somaliland, for the first two to three years of a child’s life, early childhood education is integrated into formal schools and private Quranic schools. Primary school lasts eight years, divided into elementary and intermediate cycles.
According to a UNICEF report of 2022, school enrollment is increasing in rural Somaliland.
At the same time, in July 2019, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), and UNICEF launched a multi-year program to enhance education opportunities for children and youth. However, a notable challenge to upgrade the school education in Somaliland is the poverty for which the existing Government has launched a wide range of initiatives.
Early Childhood Policy & Institutional Framework in Somaliland
The Somaliland Government has a successful early childhood policy and institutional framework with a particular focus on quality of early childhood education, monitoring evaluation and internationalization.
Notably, the administration is working to enhance the teaching communities for the early childhood education.
Monitoring system for the early childhood education is appreciable. Co-curricular activities for school children are strongly encouraged and opportunities are provided to the school children by the Ministry of School Education.
Trends in Modern Teaching in Schools
Modern teaching at early childhood education has a particular focus on promoting critical thinking, problem solving and analytical skills. Trends in modern teaching at school level in Somaliland include the use of advanced instructional material and continuous training. In addition, the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are working together to upgrade the early childhood education system with particular focus on the schools in rural areas.
Further Recommendations
Early childhood education further needs to provide more enabling environment for the intellectual and social development of the children. It’s important to increase the number of schools for further enrollment of children particularly in rural areas. Moreover, the school curriculum needs to be further upgraded with inculcation of sustainable development goals for the active and positive contributions of the next generation in the society.
Noteworthy, school infrastructure needs to be improved with the provision of sports grounds and modern facilities of learning. Traditional educational practices may be encouraged. Teacher training programs may be continued with the updated knowledge of modern techniques of teaching and evaluating.
Also, strategies should address the low quality and high dropout rate of school children. Furthermore, there should be focus on offering relevant education and training that relates with the job. The input from experts also plays a significant role in further improving the quality education and addressing the existing challenges. Therefore, experts should be continuously engaged, and their recommendations considered for upgrading the education system.