Supporting Basic
Education in Somalia
Somalia has been embroiled in civil war for 18 years, since
the fall of the Siad Barre regime, and only recently managed to establish a national
government at the end of January 2009. The ongoing conflict has created a
severe refugee situation, with over a quarter of a million people displaced
from Mogadishu since May 2009 and an additional 50,000 people displaced in
Somalia between September and mid November 2009, 22,000 of whom are from the
capital. 1.5 million Somali refugees have been internally displaced and have
mainly settled in the Central South region of Somalia.
Despite the efforts of the international community to
support the education sector in Somalia, the civil unrest and severe poverty
have prevented many from attending school. The average gross enrollment rate
(GER) at the primary level in Somalia is one of the lowest in the world at
27.9%, with the GER for boys at 33.6% and 22.1% for girls. Girls also have a
significantly higher drop-out rate compared to boys. As a result of this gender
disparity, of the 20% of Somali adults who are literate, only 12% are women.
This large number of illiterate adults is damaging not only to those individuals
but also to their families, as it is less likely that children of illiterate
parents will get their support in benefitting from primary education.
ADRA Canada’s mission, in partnership with ADRA Somalia, is
to support basic education in Somalia, in select regions of the larger Somaliland,
Puntland, and South Central regions, especially where women and girls are
concerned. The project will be subsumed under the larger Supporting Expanded Participation
in Somalia Basic Education (SEPISBE) being implemented in Somalia. ADRA will
select 15 primary schools and 8 adult learning centres in these communities to
be rehabilitated and expanded. The sanitation facilities and basic sports
installations of these establishments will be upgraded and they will be
provided with furniture, equipment, and teaching materials. Among t
hose who
would benefit from a rehabilitation of the education system are children of school
age, drawn from the internally displaced population, as well as adults and youth
who have missed the opportunity to acquire basic literacy and numeracy due to
civil strife. Specifically, 8,000 children are expected to benefit from this
project, 50% of whom will ideally be girls, and 3,000 youth and adult learners,
70% of whom will be women.
Ultimately, ADRA’s goal is to promote the value of education
to families who may not prioritize education for their children due to extreme
poverty and conflict, and to encourage communities that it is to their
advantage to support and sustain the education system.
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