DOCSLIB.ORG

Civil War and Emerging Governments: the European Commission and Community Based Education Development in Somalia

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Civil War and Emerging Governments: the European Commission and Community Based Education Development in Somalia Civil War and Emerging Governments: The European Commission and Community Based Education Development in Somalia. Leo Schellekens TA Education, EC Somalia Unit Introduction Before the collapse of the state in 1990, the European Commission (EC) was active in education development in Somalia from the delegation of the European Commission in the Somali Democratic Republic in Mogadishu. Since 1993, the EC Somalia Unit, part of the Regional Delegation of the European Commission in Kenya, has been the major donor for aid to the education sector in Somalia. It has embraced the challenge of finding appropriate solutions to the complex and formidable problem situation in the country. In the first years of its activities the Somalia Unit followed the ‘heroics’ of humanitarian intervention along the medical-relief model. 1 Later, the areas of support were broadened to cover also other sectors such as education that were considered important from the point of view of the future economic development of countries in crisis. In this perspective, the Somalia Unit started in 1996 to work systematically in the education sector in Somalia by developing a programme to help the Somalis create a sustainable education system through active participation of the communities. From that time onwards the European Commission has invested about 20 million Euros for the development of education in Somalia. In 1998 the EC Strategy was formulated.2 It is stated that Somalia’s children are its greatest resource that will be called upon to solve the myriad problems facing them. The future of Somalia will remain bleak as long as the majority of children continue to be denied the right to education.3 1 See for this discussion, Emily Vargas -Baron and Maureen McClure, The New Heroics of Generational Commitment: Education in Nations with Chronic Crisis. In: Gonzalo Retamal/Ruth Aedo-Richmond, (Eds) Education as a Humanitarian Response, Cassell, London 1998, p. 271-289 2 EC Strategy for the Education Sector in Somalia, Somalia Unit, Nairobi, 1998. 3 See also, James D. Wolfensohn, A Proposal for a comprehensive Development Framework (A Discussion Draft, World Bank, January 1999 p. 13 1 Education has the ability to open the minds of people and bring them in contact with the wider world. Somali people have realized the importance of education. They value learning languages and they want to communicate with the outside world. Somali people have migrated all over the world to many western countries and they keep in contact with each other through the Internet, where a huge number of Somali websites are active. 4 Traveling through Somalia it is remarkable to see the great number of satellite dishes and people watching CNN and listening to the BCC world service. To improve the quality of life in Somalia, the EC focussed resources on improving the provision of and access to basic services, particularly in education, that are most needed by the poor.5 This is in line with the policies of the EC and the new worldwide focus on Poverty Reduction Strategies.6 Scott Petersen wrote recently: “Africa has always known violence and war, its soil is regularly stained with the blood of its people, but the conflicts of the last ten years of the millennium have been the most vicious and have created the most suffering.”7 Somalia falls in this category. It has been without a Central Government since 1990. In the Northwestern part is the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland and in the Northeastern part is the Puntland State of Somalia. These regions comprise about a third of the Somali population and almost half of its territory. The key trend within Somalia continues to be divergence, with some areas of the country experiencing positive political development and economic recovery, while other areas continue to be plagued by many of the characteristics of crisis and complex emergencies. The Education Programme of the EC is executed by a group of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO’s) from the European Union and specialized United Nations Agencies. It is an ‘Education Development Programme’: 1. The projects contributing to the programme are clearly coordinated between Donors, UN Agencies and INGO’s; 4 Some informative websites are, for Somaliland: Somaliland.com, for Puntland: Puntland.com and for the rest of Somalia: Banadir.com 5 Somalia, Year 2000, Education for All, Assessment Report, Nairobi, 1999, 6 See also: The Government of Kenya, Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for 2000 – 2003, June 2000. And: ACP 9th EDF Programming Guidelines. DG Development, Brussels 2000 7 Scott Peterson, Me Against my Brother, at war in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda. Routledge, New York, London, 2000, p. xiii. It gives a good introduction to the recent Somalia situation. 2 2. Good communication mechanisms have been developed with the emerging Governments in all regions of Somalia; 3. There is a common approach in that the focus of the education development should be on the mobilization of the communities to develop their own education. 8 The programme is financed by the European Development Fund (EDF) but increasingly co-financed by other donors such as the Italian Government, DANIDA, UNHCR and others. The major underlying principle is that of peace dividend: areas and regions that have achieved peace and stability are rewarded and thus reinforcing peace already established. The Somalia Unit works closely with local administrations in the development of community based education in the stable regions, Somaliland and Puntland. Also in the regions of Central Somalia (South of Puntland): South Mudug, Galgadud, Hiran and Middle Shebelle, where authorities are emerging, primary education projects are implemented. In the South of Somalia, still very unstable, functioning schools are supported in areas that are secure and therefore accessible. It can be stated that the opening of schools for the children of Somalia is very often in many regions a factor that stabilizes the society. For many Somalis, education is priority number one, a feeling deeply rooted in their culture and society. Education in Somalia and EC Policy For centuries, Somali children were educated informally (within the extended family) in values, norms and interests of traditional pastoralists/nomads. Education was entirely oral, very flexible, adapted to the environment and directly relevant to the basic needs of the people. The only functioning schools for years were the Koranic schools where children were taught to memorize the Koran. These schools were functioning in the Arabic language. The Somali language was at that time not yet written down.9 8 This is in line with the EC Strategy. See, Poul Nielson, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poverty is increasing in absolute numbers. In: The Courier, Issue 182, EC Brussels, August/September 2000. p. 2 9 Language and language politics has always complicated the development of the Somali Education System since independence. During the colonial years, the British had introduced English in Somaliland, and the Italians had introduced Italian in the Northeast and the South of Somalia. Almost all of the Somalis 3 Formal, western-style education was established in both British Somaliland and Italian Somalia late in the 19th Century, each in the language and based on the school system of the colonial power. Later, some Arabic-medium schools were established with support from Arabic countries. The colonial education system had relatively low coverage and was restricted to the settled population centres: they were aimed initially at producing clerical and other support staff for the colonial administration but met resistance from nomadic groups in particular. 10 In 1962, at the very outset of Somalia’s independence, there were 233 elementary schools (lower primary), 31 intermediate schools (upper primary), 12 secondary schools (some general, some professional) of varying origins, using different languages of instruction and different curricula and teaching approaches.11 1969 saw the start of the 21-year period of ‘socialism’ in Somalia that has on one hand had a great impact on the ‘underdevelopment’ of the education sector in the country. On the other hand it created a lot of interest in education as was often the case in ‘socialist countries’ and emphasized heavily on the development of an education system for the poor and illiterate in Somalia. In 1972 the Somali language was written down in the Latin Alphabet with implementation in all schools: within a few years after the introduction of the new written language, the country’s primary school system adopted the language as language of instruction while Arabic and English continued to be taught as second languages.12 are Muslims; the Arabic language is also widely used and spoken (in the 1980’s the Saudi Government linked the free delivery of oil to Somalia to the condition that all civil servants meet a certain level of proficiency in the Arabic language). Under the future curriculum, the medium of instruction in the lower primary (grade 1-4) will be the Somali Language, since that is the mother tongue for all Somalis. English will be introduced as a subject and possibly in the final years of the upper primary as medium of instruction to prepare the children for secondary education, which uses English as the medium of instruction. 10 Dawson, G.D. Education in Somalia, Comparative Education Review, vol.8, October 1964. Cited in, Children and Women in Somalia, A situation analysis, UNICEF -Somalia, Nairobi 1998. 11 Somali Democratic Republic, Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sector Study on Education, Sector Study on Education – Five years development Plan 1982-1986. Mogadishu. 1981. Cited in: Delegation of the European Commission in the Somali Democratic Republic, The socio-economic development of Somalia 1981-1982, Mogadishu, 1982. 12 Human Development Report, UNDP, Nairobi, 1998, Chapter 3. 4 In 1974, the government introduced a nationwide campaign against illiteracy in the new language.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Somalia's Islamists
    SOMALIA’S ISLAMISTS Africa Report N°100 – 12 December 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... i I. ISLAMIC ACTIVISM IN SOMALI HISTORY ......................................................... 1 II. JIHADI ISLAMISM....................................................................................................... 3 A. AL-ITIHAAD AL-ISLAAMI .........................................................................................................3 1. The “Golden Age” .....................................................................................................3 2. From Da’wa to Jihad: The battle of Araare ...............................................................4 3. Towards an Islamic emirate.......................................................................................5 4. Towards an Islamic emirate – Part 2 .........................................................................7 5. A transnational network.............................................................................................7 6. From Jihad to terror: The Islamic Union of Western Somalia...................................8 7. Al-Itihaad’s twilight years .........................................................................................9 B. THE NEW JIHADIS ...............................................................................................................11 C. AL-TAKFIR WAL-HIJRA .........................................................................................................12
    [Show full text]
  • Somalia 2021 Gu Seasonal Monitor, June 14, 2021
    SOMALIA Seasonal Monitor June 14, 2021 FEWS NET publishes a Seasonal Monitor for Somalia every 10 days (dekad) through the end of the current April to June gu rainy season. The purpose of this document is to provide updated information on the progress of the gu season to facilitate contingency and response planning. This Somalia Seasonal Monitor is valid through June 20, 2021, and is produced in collaboration with U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) Somalia, the Somali Water and Land Information System (SWALIM), a number of other agencies, and several Somali non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Most of Somalia continues to receive little or no rainfall, signaling an early end of the 2021 gu season Following suppressed rainfall in May, field reports indicate that most of Somalia received little or no rainfall during the June 1-10 period. Preliminary CHIRPS remote sensing data corroborates the absence of rain across most of the country, apart from localized areas in the southern regions of Bay, Shabelle and Juba, which received 5-25 millimeters (mm) of rain (Figure 1). Compared to the long-term average (1981-2018), the dry period is indicative of average climatology; however, ground observations indicate drier-than-normal conditions (Figure 2). According to the most recent FAO SWALIM river station gauge data, water levels at key monitoring points along the Shabelle River are average to slightly above average, while river water levels along the Juba River are below average. Regardless, water levels at all monitoring points are significantly below the flood risk threshold due to recent poor rainfall over both Somalia’s riverine areas and the upstream river catchments in the Ethiopian highlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Cash and Markets Quarterly Dashboard - Somalia October - December 2018 Produced on 30Th January 2019
    Cash and Markets Quarterly Dashboard - Somalia October - December 2018 Produced on 30th January 2019 Introduction Recommended transfer values Table 1: Recommended transfer values (USD) Map 1: Percentage change in price of main cereal from October to December 2018 Cash-based interventions have been used by The CWG uses FSNAU's CMEB values as the basis Region Multi-purpose Food transfer humanitarian organisations in Somalia since 20031. for determining transfer value recommendations. transfer value value However significant variations have been noted in As per the decision of the CWG, food transfer value Awdal 85 (75) 80 (70) transfer values, sometimes in the same place by recommendations should correspond to 100% of the different organisations, with varying justifications. It is in cost of the food MEB, while multi-purpose transfer value Bakool 70 60 light of this that the Somalia Cash Working Group (CWG) recommendations should correspond to 80% of the Banaadir 65 50 started convening in February 2017, against a backdrop cost of the full MEB, both rounded to the nearest 5. In Bari 85 80 of an increase in number of agencies using cash-based addition, transfer value recommendations should remain Bay 50 30 interventions to respond to the 2016-2017 drought, fixed for three months at a time, and only be subject to with an aim to streamline the design, development change if the CMEB changes by more than 10% (see Galgaduud 100 90 and implementation of cash based interventions in the Tables 2 and 3 for details on the CMEB). Gedo 70 60 country. Within this, the CWG provides transfer value In consideration of this, in regions where a more than Hiraan 60 45 recommendations on a quarterly basis - based on the 10% change in the CMEB was recorded between October cost of the minimum expenditure basket (CMEB) - to Lower Juba 95 75 and December 2018, an updated recommendation is humanitarian organisations implementing cash-based Lower Shabelle 45 30 provided and the previous one is shown in brackets.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Council Distr.: General 18 February 2005
    United Nations S/2005/89 Security Council Distr.: General 18 February 2005 Original: English Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted pursuant to the statement of the President of the Security Council of 31 October 2001 (S/PRST/2001/30), in which the Council requested me to submit reports on a quarterly basis on the situation in Somalia. The report focuses on developments regarding the national reconciliation process in Somalia since my previous report, of 8 October 2004 (S/2004/804). It also provides an update on the security situation as well as the humanitarian and development activities of United Nations programmes and agencies in Somalia. II. The formation of the Transitional Federal Government 2. The Somali National Reconciliation Conference concluded on 14 October 2004 with the swearing-in of Colonel Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as the President of Somalia. He was elected by the members of the Transitional Federal Parliament of Somalia on 10 October 2004 after three rounds of voting. In the final round, Colonel Yusuf obtained 189 votes while the runner-up candidate, Abdullahi Ahmed Addow, obtained 79 votes. Mr. Addow accepted the outcome and pledged to cooperate with the President. Prior to the vote, all 26 presidential candidates signed a declaration to support the elected President and to demobilize their militias. 3. On 3 November, President Yusuf appointed Ali Mohammed Gedi, a veterinarian and member of the Hawiye clan, predominant in Mogadishu, as Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. 4. During the first week of December, Prime Minister Gedi announced the appointment of some 73 Ministers, Ministers of State and Assistant Ministers.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 MINISTRY of EDUCATION & SCIENCE REPUBLIC of SOMALILAND Fifth Draft GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP for EDUCATION PROGRAM 2018-2021 Nove
    MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & SCIENCE REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND Fifth Draft GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION PROGRAM 2018-2021 November, 2017 1 ACRONYMS AAGR Annual Average Growth Rate ABE Alternative Basic Education ADRA Adventist Development and Relief Agency AET Africa Education Trust CA Coordinating Agency CEC Community Education Committee CRM Complaint Response Mechanism DEO District Education Officer DFID Department For International Development (UK) ECE Early Childhood Education EDT Education Development Trust EFPT EMIS Focal Point Teacher ERGA Early Grade Reading Assessment EiE Education in Emergencies EMIS Education Management Information System ESA Education Sector Analysis ESPIG Education Sector Plan Implementation Grant ESSP Education Sector Strategic Plan ESC Education Sector Committee EU European Union GA Grant Agent GDP Gross Domestic Product GER Gross Enrolment Rate GFS Girl Friendly Space GPE Global Partnership for Education GPI Gender Parity Index IDP Internally Displaced People INGO International Non-Governmental Organization IPTT Indicator Performance Tracking Table IQS Integrated Quranic Schools JRES Joint Education Sector Review KRT Key Resource Teacher MEAL Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning MLA Measuring Learning Achievement MOES Ministry of Education & Science MOERA Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs MOH Ministry of Health MoU Memorandum of Understanding M&E Monitoring and Evaluation NDP National Development Plan NFE None Formal Education NGO Non-Governmental Organization NRC Norwegian Refugee
    [Show full text]
  • Country of Origin Information Report Somalia July 2008
    COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT SOMALIA 30 JULY 2008 UK BORDER AGENCY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE 30 JULY 2008 SOMALIA Contents Preface LATEST NEWS EVENTS IN SOMALIA, FROM 4 JULY 2008 TO 30 JULY 2008 REPORTS ON SOMALIA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 4 JULY 2008 Paragraphs Background Information GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 1.01 Maps .............................................................................................. 1.04 ECONOMY ................................................................................................. 2.01 Currency change, 2008 ................................................................ 2.06 Drought and famine, 2008 ........................................................... 2.10 Telecommunications.................................................................... 2.14 HISTORY ................................................................................................... 3.01 Collapse of central government and civil war ........................... 3.01 Peace initiatives 2000-2006 ......................................................... 3.14 ‘South West State of Somalia’ (Bay and Bakool) ...................... 3.19 ‘Puntland’ Regional Administration............................................ 3.20 The ‘Republic of Somaliland’ ...................................................... 3.21 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................... 4.01 CONSTITUTION .........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Tahir, Abdifatah I.Pdf
    A University of Sussex PhD thesis Available online via Sussex Research Online: http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/ This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Please visit Sussex Research Online for more information and further details URBAN GOVERNANCE, LAND CONFLICTS AND SEGREGATION IN HARGEISA, SOMALILAND: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND CONTEMPORARY DYNAMICS ABDIFATAH I TAHIR This thesis is submitted to the Department of Geography, School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) OCTOBER 1, 2016 DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY SCHOOL OF GLOBAL STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX 1 | Page ORIGINALITY STATEMENT I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in part to another University for the award of any other degree. Signature 2 | Page I. ABSTRACT This thesis offers an explanation for why urban settlement in Somaliland’s capital city of Hargeisa is segregated along clan lines. The topic of urban segregation has been neglected in both classic Somali studies, and recent studies of post-war state-building and governance in Somaliland. Such negligence of urban governance in debates over state-making stems from a predominant focus on national and regional levels, which overlooks the institutions governing cities.
    [Show full text]
  • Millions of Civilians Have Been Killed in the Flames of War... But
    VOLUME 2 • NUMBER 131 • 2003 “Millions of civilians have been killed in the flames of war... But there is hope too… in places like Sierra Leone, Angola and in the Horn of Africa.” —High Commissioner RUUD LUBBERS at a CrossroadsAfrica N°131 - 2003 Editor: Ray Wilkinson French editor: Mounira Skandrani Contributors: Millicent Mutuli, Astrid Van Genderen Stort, Delphine Marie, Peter Kessler, Panos Moumtzis Editorial assistant: UNHCR/M. CAVINATO/DP/BDI•2003 2 EDITORIAL Virginia Zekrya Africa is at another Africa slips deeper into misery as the world Photo department: crossroads. There is Suzy Hopper, plenty of good news as focuses on Iraq. Anne Kellner 12 hundreds of thousands of Design: persons returned to Sierra Vincent Winter Associés Leone, Angola, Burundi 4 AFRICAN IMAGES Production: (pictured) and the Horn of Françoise Jaccoud Africa. But wars continued in A pictorial on the African continent. Photo engraving: Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Aloha Scan - Geneva other areas, making it a very Distribution: mixed picture for the 12 COVER STORY John O’Connor, Frédéric Tissot continent. In an era of short wars and limited casualties, Maps: events in Africa are almost incomprehensible. UNHCR Mapping Unit By Ray Wilkinson Historical documents UNHCR archives Africa at a glance A brief look at the continent. Refugees is published by the Media Relations and Public Information Service of the United Nations High Map Commissioner for Refugees. The 17 opinions expressed by contributors Refugee and internally displaced are not necessarily those of UNHCR. The designations and maps used do UNHCR/P. KESSLER/DP/IRQ•2003 populations. not imply the expression of any With the war in Iraq Military opinion or recognition on the part of officially over, UNHCR concerning the legal status UNHCR has turned its Refugee camps are centers for of a territory or of its authorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Afmadow District Detailed Site Assessment Lower Juba Region, Somalia
    Afmadow district Detailed Site Assessment Lower Juba Region, Somalia Introduction Location map The Detailed Site Assessment (DSA) was triggered in the perspectives of different groups were captured2. KI coordination with the Camp Coordination and Camp responses were aggregated for each site. These were then Management (CCCM) Cluster in order to provide the aggregated further to the district level, with each site having humanitarian community with up-to-date information on an equal weight. Data analysis was done by thematic location of internally displaced person (IDP) sites, the sectors, that is, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene conditions and capacity of the sites and the humanitarian (WASH), shelter, displacement, food security, health and needs of the residents. The first round of the DSA took nutrition, education and communication. place from October 2017 to March 2018 assessing a total of 1,843 sites in 48 districts. The second round of the DSA This factsheet presents a summary of profiles of assessed sites3 in Afmadow District along with needs and priorities of took place from 1 September 2018 to 31 January 2019 IDPs residing in these sites. As the data is captured through assessing a total of 1778 sites in 57 districts. KIs, findings should be considered indicative rather than A grid pattern approach1 was used to identify all IDP generalisable. sites in a specific area. In each identified site, two key Number of assessed sites: 14 informants (KIs) were interviewed: the site manager or community leader and a women’s representative, to ensure Assessed IDP sites in Afmadow4 Coordinates: Lat. 0.6, Long.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa Katharine Eger Claremont Mckenna College
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CMC Senior Theses CMC Student Scholarship 2016 An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa Katharine Eger Claremont McKenna College Recommended Citation Eger, Katharine, "An Analysis of Education Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa" (2016). CMC Senior Theses. Paper 1419. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1419 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you by Scholarship@Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in this collection by an authorized administrator. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLAREMONT MCKENNA COLLEGE AN ANALYSIS OF EDUCATION REFORM IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR WILLIAM ASCHER AND DEAN PETER UVIN WRITTEN BY KATHARINE MIRANDA EGER FOR SENIOR THESIS SPRING APRIL 25, 2016 Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa continues to fall behind other developing regions regarding educational attainment, despite recent progress in enrollment. This thesis examines a variety of external conditional factors that could contribute to a country’s relative success, in terms of years spent in school using a prediction model that compares years enrolled in secondary education as a foundation to determine over- and under-performing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. By exploring various educational policies, historical patterns, and projects executed in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Botswana, this thesis sheds light on four main challenges that can impact educational attainment: ethnic and racial tensions, an acute shortage of learning materials and trained teachers, inappropriate curricula, and high costs of education. Some of these challenges have been met with an array of policies, with mixed results in terms of the soundness and fairness of policies as well as the effectiveness of implementation.
    [Show full text]
  • Shabelle Relief and Development Organization (SHARDO)
    Shabelle Relief and Development Organization (SHARDO) ASSESSMENT REPORT ON THE MECHANISMS AND NEEDS OF THE POPULATION LIVING IN JOWHAR, ADALE AND ADAN YABAL, WARSHEIKH DISTRICITS OF MIDDLE SHABELLE REGION. 1. General principles: Name of the implementing Agency Shabelle Relief and Development Organization (SHARDO) Name of the Funding Agency Somali – Swedish Intellectual Banadir Organization (SIBO) Assessment Period: 1st – 10th December 2007 Reporting Period: 15th December 2007 Contact Person: Mohamed Ahmed Moallim Tell: +252 1 644449 Mobile: +252 1 5513089 Email: [email protected] 1 2. Contents 1. General Principles Page 1 2. Contents 2 3. Introduction 3 4. General Objective 3 5. Specific Objective 3 6. General and Social demographic, economical Mechanism in Middle Shabelle region 4 1.1 Farmers 5 1.2 Agro – Pastoralists 5 1.3 Adale District 7 1.4 Fishermen 2 3. Introduction: Middle Shabelle is located in the south central zone of Somalia The region borders: Galgadud to the north, Hiran to the West, Lower Shabelle and Banadir regions to the south and the Indian Ocean to the east. A pre – war census estimated the population at 1.4 million and today the regional council claims that the region’s population is 1.6 million. The major clans are predominant Hawie and shiidle. Among hawiye clans: Abgal, Galjecel, monirity include: Mobilen, Hawadle, Kabole and Hilibi. The regional consists of seven (7) districts: Jowhar – the regional capital, Bal’ad, Adale, A/yabal, War sheikh, Runirgon and Mahaday. The region supports livestock production, rain-fed and gravity irrigated agriculture and fisheries, with an annual rainfall between 150 and 500 millimeters covering an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers, the region has a 400 km coastline on Indian Ocean.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Conflict Education Development in Somaliland
    Post-Conflict Education Development in Somaliland Post-Conflict Education Development in Somaliland Samuel Ayele Bekalo, Michael Brophy and Geoff Welford Abstract In the light of fresh international initiatives to achieve Universal Basic Education (UBE) and gender equality in education by 2015, this paper examines factors affecting its realisation in the context of Somaliland. In a country where over 80% of school age children are receiving little meaningful education, the paper reflects on more flexible education approaches to provide sustainable education for children and disadvantaged adults. The paper draws on fieldwork data from a DfID funded study [1] and the authors' own experiences. The discussion highlights the peculiar circumstances of Somaliland. It charts the provision of Education in the then Somalia from the colonial era through post-independence times to the civil conflict which led to the destruction of education in the country. It goes on to look at the progress being made at the present time following “stop-gap” measures for emergency education towards revitalising enhanced education. It completes the picture by describing challenges to the achievement of the UBE target. The authors review aspects of alternative and flexible educational approaches and urge the integration of these non-formal systems with the formal, governmentally controlled school systems being restored in Somaliland. They do so while sounding a note of caution that for all the energy and enthusiasm associated with these approaches, they have yet to be evaluated for their effectiveness in providing quality basic education. This paper looks at education in Somaliland. It presents a brief summary of the development of education from colonial times, through the recent civil conflict into the present time.
    [Show full text]