Primary school years
Somalia today is a country where schooling is available to very few children. A child of primary school age has only about a one in five chance of attending school. As a result of the collapse of the central government in 1991 and the ensuing long years of conflict schools were destroyed, looted and abandoned. Only now is rehabilitation of the damaged buildings beginning to take place. As per the 2006/7 Primary Schools Survey, there were 1,855 schools operational in the country, the majority concentrated around and in urban areas. Most schools are financed from fees or other forms of support from parents and communities, with some input from external agencies.The total enrolment figure is some 383,983 students, placing Somalia firmly among the countries with the lowest enrolment rates in the world. For a girl child in Somalia the prospects of attending school are even poorer: the Survey of Primary Schools in Somalia for 2006-2007 showed that only slightly over one third, or 38 per cent, of pupils are girls .
Results of previous school surveys reflect the same pattern. The low enrolment and high drop-out rates of girls in most areas are due to a combination of traditional attitudes, timing of classes and economic considerations.
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