Back to School Campaign
Somaliland girl pursues her dream of an education Hargeisa, Somaliland, 16 June, 2005 - As Somalia and other countries rededicate themselves today, the Day of the African Child, to improving the welfare of their children, a girl in Northwest Somalia (‘Somaliland’) too is determined to do her bit by pursuing an education. Foosiya Elaahi Cilmi, 12, lives in Hargeisa, the capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland. She is one of nine children and lives in the centre of the city. Her father was formerly a history teacher but now runs a small garage and her mother stays at home to look after the children. Foosiya attends a government primary school and is a grade six student. The school has 83 students in her class, 22 of whom are girls. She pays one dollar a month in school fees. Her syllabus includes Arabic, English, Islamic Studies, Maths, Somali, Science and Social Studies. Foosiya, a bright and outgoing girl whose favourite subject is English, is doing well in her studies and hopes to one day become a secretary. For the moment however, her dream is to continue beyond primary for studies at a government secondary school. Though her elder siblings attend private schools, the family cannot afford the private school fees for Foosiya and the younger children. Foosiya’s day starts at six when she gets up to pray with her mother and the other children. Thereafter she takes her breakfast before making her way to school by foot. Classes begin at 7.30am and finish at 12.00. In the afternoons, she goes home to help her mother with the younger children and household chores. Once a week, she goes to play basketball at a sports centre for girls, the first of its kind in Somaliland. This is a welcome opportunity as girls are generally discouraged from playing sports and play separately from the boys at school. In addition, there are very few playgrounds in school so many girls find themselves spending their break-time in the classroom.
When asked about the obstacles girls face at school, Foosiya says, “It is very difficult for us because there are so few girls. Sometimes girls can’t answer questions because the boys control the classroom and we are too shy.” She says that break time is awkward because “our religion forbids us from playing with boys and we have no place to play separately.” On the high drop-out rate of girls from schools, Foosiya says one of the probable causes could be that “girls stay at home to help their mothers. There are some families who don’t think education is important for girls.” The benefits of education are very apparent to Foosiya who says, “Education is very important to me because it will help me get a good job one day and help me have a good life.” Foosiya’s story is encouraging as statistics in Somaliland show that approximately 60% of girls drop out of education by the end of primary school. There is a huge discrepancy in the number of girls who attend school as opposed to boys. About 37% of children attend school in Somaliland - about 108,000 children of whom only 36,524 are girls. Only 11% of Somaliland's school teachers are female. The discrepancies are primarily due to traditional attitudes and economic considerations. UNICEF has recognized the great vulnerability of Somali girls with regards to education and an advocacy campaign is being undertaken to get girls back to school and to encourage them to continue on to secondary education. UNICEF hopes to get 33,000 more children back to school this year. Emphasis has also been placed on the need for greater gender sensitivity in schools and the need for more playgrounds so that girls can have a place to play separately from the boys. UNICEF worked closely with the Somaliland Ministry of Education to develop the current national curriculum. In 2002, all primary school teachers were trained in the new syllabus and on improving their teaching skills and techniques. School mentors continue to monitor schools to ensure that new methods continue to be used in the classroom. UNICEF has provided textbooks for Grades 1 to 4 in all primary schools and has also helped establish Community Education Committees in schools which oversee security and school maintenance. UNICEF has also been involved in establishing non-formal education for children who cannot attend regular classes or who have dropped out. These activities have made it possible for many children to have access to basic education thus enabling them to acquire skills and knowledge to help both personal development and the development of Somaliland. For more information contact: Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF Resident Project Officer, Northwest Somalia, email: mmdoe@unicef.org. Children register 57,000 out-of-school counterparts in Puntland
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About the Back to School Campaign in Somalia
Achieving universal education for all Somali children requires a much more innovative and proactive approach. In an effort to achieve this, UNICEF in mid-2005 embarked on the Back to School campaign. The campaign is raising the profile of education throughout the country and exciting interest in schooling. Attached below in Word is a concept paper by UNICEF Somalia on the campaign.
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