By Abdirizak Ibrahim
Thursday December 1, 2022
On 16th to 19th of September, the United Nation’s
General Secretary convened the Transforming Education Summit (TES 2022) on the
side lines of the United Nation’s General Assembly, bringing global education
leaders together to deliberate on the crisis affecting the education sector. Recovery from the impact of Covid-19 and the significant
learning losses during the school closure, necessitated the call for the TES in
New York. A recent World Bank /UN report on the crisis noted, that the portion of 10-yearolds in low- and
middle-income countries who cannot read a simple story is estimated to have
grown from 50 percent before the pandemic to 70 percent today. Education is
further threatened by increasing violence, conflict and
displacement and the impact of climate change globally.
With barely eight years to 2030, realisation of the Sustainable
Development Goals for Education (SDG4) is just a mirage if urgent action is not
taken. It is therefore imperative that the Somali Government and especially leadership
in the Ministry of Education and all education partners act decisively and in
solidarity towards transforming our education system.
At the TES summit, four Thematic
Action Tracks were chosen. Informed by the 2030 Agenda and its
education-related goals and targets, specifically SDG 4: ensure inclusive
and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for
all, these include the following:
·
Inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools
·
Learning and skills for life, work and
sustainable development
·
Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession
·
Digital learning and transformation
But why is the TES even
more important to Somalia than ever before?
The education sector of Somalia has been evolving and has recorded
considerable gains in recent years. However, the country still faces numerous
challenges relating to improving access to education and learning outcomes. Covid-19
has compounded the situation and had a significant impact on the education
system and on the lives of children and youth.
Looking at the four TES thematic action tracks in the Somali context, we
can see why transforming education in Somalia is really important at this particular
time and what the government and education partners need to do to deliver on
Agenda 2030.
Inclusive, equitable, safe
and healthy schools
Despite achieving a considerable
increase in access to education, Somalia continues to be confronted with
substantial challenges resulting from years of instability and underinvestment
in human capital, widespread poverty, low economic growth, low fiscal capacity,
and fragility. Moreover, the
Statistical Yearbook 2021 indicates that the primary gross enrollment rate
(GER) is estimated to be 24 percent, with more than 3 million primary-aged
children (ages 5–14 years) out of school. The secondary school GER is estimated
at 22 percent. The 2019
Somalia Labor Force Survey estimated that 44 percent of youth (ages 15– 24
years) in Somalia are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). It
further showed that the NEET rate is particularly high for young women: 50
percent of all females ages 15–24 years are neither at work nor in
school/training, compared to 39 percent for males.
In addition to the lack of
schools, inadequate infrastructure in existing primary and secondary schools is
limiting student’s safety and health. A recent National
Schools Supervision Report that assessed primary and secondary schools
based on certain dimensions including school safety and curriculum
implementation, indicated that the infrastructure in 82% of the 1,423 schools assessed
was below average, meeting only
rudimentary requirements, while 11% of the
schools are not fit to host learners since they do not meet even the
basic requirements to conduct teaching and learning activities.
Effective strategies for the
Ministry of Education to address these challenges and expand equitable access
to education for the millions of out of school children, are envisioned in the new
Education
Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026. These include, but are not limited to; building
of more classrooms and conducting awareness campaigns in the areas with high
number of out of school children.
Learning and skills for
life, work and sustainable development
Transforming
education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and
attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future
while contributing to the socioeconomic development of the country. Global
evidence indicates that an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds are unable to understand a simple
written text especially in low- and middle-income
countries. In
Somalia, a 2021 study on learning outcomes for students in grade 1-4 indicated
that most children who are in the education system, can read with comprehension
by grade 4, as well as reaching proficiency in single-digit addition, subtraction
and multiplication, with learning outcomes consistently higher in urban areas.
Nonetheless, large numbers of children are not in school and certain subgroups
of students are lagging behind and potentially dropping out before reaching
mid-primary level, especially girls, children with disabilities, second
language speakers and the poorest/ most affected by disasters.
Somalia is among the countries
with the lowest GER. However, there is a more focused intervention by the Ministry
towards increasing access to education. However, we must ensure that those children
who go to school are really learning? The
learning inequality gap must be narrowed by focusing on school level factors,
gender and social inclusion to improve learning outcomes.
Teachers, teaching and the
teaching profession
Teachers play a significant
role in curriculum implementation and also in shaping the desired learning
outcomes of students. It is important to put teachers at the heart of the
education system if we want to improve the quality of education. The 2021 education
statistical yearbook shows only 36 percent of our teachers holds formal
qualifications. The Qualified Pupil Teacher
Ratio (QPTR) for both primary and secondary in the same year stands at 91
pupils for each qualified teacher. The figures differ from one state to
another. QPTR is higher in secondary as compared to primary level, due to the
subject-specific requirements in many schools, poor renumeration and lack of
supportive working conditions have resulted in teachers being demotivated and
reluctant to remain in the profession.
In light of the above
challenges, building a teaching workforce who are engaged, respected and
properly resourced is key to transforming
education. This can be achieved by reviewing the existing teacher policy and
clearly incorporating teacher empowerment, innovation as well as better working
conditions as a starting point. Furthermore, increasing investment in wages and
engaging teachers in the decision making is also crucial in this transformation
journey.
Digital learning and
transformation
Digital technologies had widened
the already existing inequalities in education in Somalia. In 2020, over
589,559 students were affected by the Covid-19 school closures. As a result, the Federal Ministry of
Education developed a Covid-19
response plan to prevent the spread of disease among the learners and their
family members as well as ensuring the continuity of learning, through the
implementation of key activities aimed at maintaining quality learning and
wellbeing of teachers and students during the pandemic. Even with development
of a distance learning programme for primary and secondary school, the uptake of
learning was very low due to inadequate access to digital facilities especially
among children from rural and poor communities.
In the commitment to action signed by TESS participating
countries, technology
( ICT /digital) came third in the most mentioned topics, just behind teachers,
indicating that use of technology in education is an area of focus for
many countries. Somalia is not an exception in this, and it is crucial that the
Ministry of Education implements the strategies for Integration of ICT
into the education system as envisaged in the national Education Sector Strategic
Plan including the establishment of school computer laboratories with
electricity and internet connectivity.
Financing of Education
Global
evidence indicates a huge financing gap for education due to the population
growth, Covid-19 and diversion of aid to emergencies. Financial analysis in the
Education Sector
Analysis (ESA 2021) indicates that the government of Somalia has made
tremendous progress in increasing its commitment to education. However, the
overall domestic financing of education remains much lower than the recommended
level of 20% of total government budget. In 2020 alone, the overall budget
spending by the Federal Government and Federal Member States was about $338
million, compared to $248.3 million in 2016, with only $17.4 million or 5
percent spent on education.
It is clear that transforming education
requires a huge financial investment and achieving SDG 4 will require significant
commitment from the Somali Government. Measures that can be used to close the
financing gap on education include a) mobilizing
more resources, especially domestic, (b) increasing efficiency and equity of
allocations and expenditures, and (c) improving education financing data.
Finally, determining which areas needs to be financed, and how, will be
informed by recommendations from each of the other four tracks.
Somalia has made great progress in the
delivery of education in recent years, but much more needs to be done if we are
to develop a skilled educated population, capable of reaching their full
potential, growing our economy and rebuilding our country. Transforming education requires collective commitment not
only from government but from all sections of society; leaders, parents, youth
and civil society. To be successful, education needs to be prioritised and not
politicised. The Education Sector Strategic Plan provides a clear roadmap and if
all stakeholders work together to deliver the strategies therein, significant
progress will be achieved.
As the ancient Greek
mathematician, Archimedes once said: “Give me a lever and a place to stand and
I will move the world.” For Somali children, education is the lever and school provide
a place for them to stand.
Abdirizak Ibrahim
[email protected]