{"id":1097,"date":"2025-08-07T18:33:35","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swazidailynews.com\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2025-08-07T18:33:35","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T16:33:35","slug":"somalias-education-crisis-why-so-few-children-attend-school-and-what-could-be-done-to-change-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/1097\/news\/world\/somalias-education-crisis-why-so-few-children-attend-school-and-what-could-be-done-to-change-that\/","title":{"rendered":"Somalia\u2019s education crisis: why so few children attend school and what could be done to change\u00a0that"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"theconversation-article-title\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">By <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/abdifatah-ismael-tahir-2438869\">Abdifatah Ismael Tahir<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">, <\/span><em style=\"font-size: 16px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-manchester-1204\">University of Manchester<\/a><\/em><\/h1>\n<div class=\"theconversation-article-body\">\n<p>Around 98 million children and youth in sub-Saharan Africa are out of school, accounting for nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/education-estimates.org\/out-of-school\/\">40%<\/a> of the global out-of-school population. This is disproportionately high, considering that the region accounts for roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/worldpopulationreview.com\/continents\/sub-saharan-africa?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">15%<\/a> of the world\u2019s population. In simple terms, \u201cout-of-school children\u201d is <a href=\"https:\/\/uis.unesco.org\/en\/glossary-term\/out-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-number\">defined<\/a> as those within the age bracket for primary or lower secondary education who are not enrolled in either level.<\/p>\n<p>One of the primary barriers to access is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/14767724.2016.1195723\">conflict<\/a>. This is particularly evident in Somalia, which has endured violence and <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/10246029.2006.9627386\">upheaval<\/a> since the collapse of its central government in 1991. Various armed groups, including clan militias and al-Shabaab militants, have vied for control over the capital, with devastating consequences.<\/p>\n<p>At present, nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.creativeassociatesinternational.com\/story\/creative-to-support-out-of-school-children-in-somalia\/\">3 million<\/a> children and youth are out of school in Somalia out of an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicefusa.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-01\/UNICEF-2024-HAC-Somalia.pdf\">7.6 million<\/a> school-age population. As the epicentre of conflict and displacement, Mogadishu experiences profound disruptions to educational access. Less than 23% of children eligible for primary education are enrolled, according to 2020 government <a href=\"https:\/\/moe.gov.so\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Annual-Statisitics-Yearbook-2021-Final.pdf\">statistics<\/a>. Only 17% progress to secondary education.<\/p>\n<p>I am a scholar of urban geography with a research focus on urban politics and governance. My <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en&amp;user=NqRmweIAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate\">co-researcher<\/a> and I sought to <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s43545-025-01123-8\">examine<\/a> the historical, social and economic factors over and above conflict contributing to the high number of out-of-school children in Mogadishu.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mceTemp\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1103\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1103\" style=\"width: 925px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1103\" src=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-300x158.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"925\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-300x158.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-1024x538.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-768x403.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-332x174.jpeg 332w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-664x349.jpeg 664w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-688x361.jpeg 688w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330-1044x548.jpeg 1044w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/un0591330.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 925px) 100vw, 925px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1103\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students attend class at a school in Dolow Somalia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We found that public education is both limited and unevenly distributed. Government-run schools make up only 4% of the total number of schools in the city. These few public schools are disproportionately located in areas dominated by major clans, leaving minority communities and conflict-displaced populations with limited access to formal education.<\/p>\n<p>A key barrier is the prohibitive cost of schooling. Equally important are entrenched cultural dynamics in areas populated by minority clans, where formal education, particularly for girls, is often undervalued in favor of technical skills or small-scale entrepreneurial training passed down through generations.<\/p>\n<p>Much like Somali society\u2019s historical <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/00467600701352331\">resistance<\/a> to colonial education through Islamic schooling, many minority communities today rely on vocational skills as strategies of autonomy from dominant clans that control political and economic power and often restrict their access to opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>By narrowing our focus to Mogadishu, our study offers a more detailed and localised understanding of the educational barriers within the city. It highlights the everyday choices, institutional fragmentation, and socio-religious imperatives that reproduce exclusion in ways that other studies have overlooked. It contributes to a more nuanced analysis of Somalia\u2019s educational challenges, supporting the development of more targeted and effective policy recommendations and interventions.<\/p>\n<h2>The findings<\/h2>\n<p>Our qualitative study was conducted in two stages. We started with a review of academic literature, government and non-governmental reports and education policy documents. The aim was to trace the historical and structural causes of exclusion. This was followed by 21 semi-structured interviews with families of out-of-school children, teachers, education officials and policymakers at both regional and federal level.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <a title=\"Education Ministry commits to equitable school feeding program in Eswatini\" href=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/archives\/783\">Education Ministry commits to equitable school feeding program in Eswatini<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our findings suggest that the reasons children are out of school in Mogadishu are complex and deeply structural. On one level, we found that formal education is largely inaccessible. Government-funded public education is limited by the small number of schools and by its uneven distribution.<\/p>\n<p>Formal private school fees on the other hand range from US$120 to US$300 per year. This is far beyond the reach of most households, whose average monthly income stands at <a href=\"https:\/\/nbs.gov.so\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/SOMALIA-INTEGRATED-HOUSEHOLD-BUDGET-SURVEY-SIHBS-2022.pdf\">US$350<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Though no official statistics exist, anecdotal evidence suggests that hundreds of thousands of children are enrolled in Qur&#8217;anic schools, also known as madrassas. This is because madrassa instruction is culturally embedded and widely trusted. Many families also rely on madrassas because the fees are lower or negotiable and they offer flexible arrangements, such as discounted fees or waivers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1101\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1101\" style=\"width: 932px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1101\" src=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/file-20250722-63-so1ark.avif\" alt=\"\" width=\"932\" height=\"524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/file-20250722-63-so1ark.avif 640w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/file-20250722-63-so1ark-300x169.avif 300w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/file-20250722-63-so1ark-332x187.avif 332w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 932px) 100vw, 932px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1101\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Grade 7 students in Mogadishu, Somalia. AMISOM Photo by Ilyas Ahmed\/flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, these institutions typically exclude academic subjects such as science, mathematics and language.<\/p>\n<p>Families must choose between two parallel systems \u2013 formal and Islamic \u2013 that are neither harmonised nor mutually reinforcing. In many cases, children complete madrassa instruction without acquiring basic literacy or numeracy skills, stalling their educational progression.<\/p>\n<p>This two-track education system goes back to the colonial era. There was resistance to western-style schools introduced in the 1930s which were seen as a foreign influence and religious dilution.<\/p>\n<p>Spatial inequality and social identity <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s43545-025-01123-8\">also exclude people<\/a>. Peripheral districts and neighbourhoods where minorities are concentrated suffer from underinvestment in educational infrastructure. These areas may be absent from national and municipal development plans. Some existing schools lack adequate sanitation facilities, libraries, and trained teaching staff.<\/p>\n<p>For internally displaced persons, tenure insecurity and legal ambiguity further limit access to public services, including education.<\/p>\n<h2>What needs to happen<\/h2>\n<p>This situation is not unique to Somalia, but the scale of exclusion in Mogadishu is alarming. Education is more than academic instruction \u2013 it offers safety, structure and hope. When children can\u2019t go to school, the consequences are profound: increased poverty, higher crime and weakened social cohesion.<\/p>\n<p>The solution requires more than constructing classrooms. Based on our research and policy analysis, we propose some recommendations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <a title=\"HRH Prince Shiyumcwasho graduates with Hons from Kingston University in the UK\" href=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/archives\/878\">HRH Prince Shiyumcwasho graduates with Hons from Kingston University in the UK<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With a federal budget of only <a href=\"https:\/\/somalipublicagenda.org\/review-of-the-federal-government-of-somalias-first-billion-dollar-budget-for-2024\/\">US$1 billion<\/a>, the options are limited. For a start, the government should authorise madrassas to provide education up to grade 6 and repurpose primary schools into secondary institutions.<\/p>\n<p>Flexible madrassas and mobile classrooms have shown notable resilience in times of crisis. In Hodan district of Mogadishu, Qur\u2019anic schools adapted to the influx of the internally displaced by extending hours and reducing fees. These locally embedded systems should be formally recognised. They also deserve direct national support to ensure quality and alignment with strategic education goals.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_1102\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1102\" style=\"width: 941px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-1102\" src=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"941\" height=\"627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-332x221.jpg 332w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-664x443.jpg 664w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-688x459.jpg 688w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-1044x696.jpg 1044w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/schoolafrica.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 941px) 100vw, 941px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1102\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">School children in class<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many community-run schools currently operate outside public planning and budgeting frameworks, yet they deliver critical services. In Somaliland, some schools have been financed through zakat (charitable donations) and <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/17531055.2019.1646557\">diaspora<\/a> contributions. Mogadishu should adapt this model.<\/p>\n<p>While Islamic education enjoys broad legitimacy, its narrow curriculum constrains students\u2019 prospects. This calls for a hybrid curriculum blending Qur\u2019anic instruction with core academic subjects: literacy, numeracy and science. This has proven successful in <a href=\"https:\/\/somalia.unfpa.org\/en\/publications\/exploratory-study-enablers-and-barriers-girls%E2%80%99-transition-secondary-and-higher\">pilot<\/a> schools in Puntland state.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, school construction and rehabilitation efforts should go to historically underserved districts first.<\/p>\n<p>Mogadishu\u2019s out-of-school children are not invisible. They are the future of the city. Including them requires more than donor-led programmes or technical solutions. It requires a political commitment to equity. This means formally recognising community efforts, bridging religious and secular traditions, and investing where it is needed most.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/261721\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/abdifatah-ismael-tahir-2438869\">Abdifatah Ismael Tahir<\/a>, Honorary Research Fellow, Global Development Institute, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-manchester-1204\">University of Manchester<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/somalias-education-crisis-why-so-few-children-attend-school-and-what-could-be-done-to-change-that-261721\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the primary barriers to access is conflict. This is particularly evident in Somalia, which has endured violence and upheaval since 1991.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1100,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,61,30],"tags":[46,60,50],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa","category-film-tv","category-world","tag-africa","tag-education","tag-international","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Somalia\u2019s education crisis: why so few children attend school and what could be done to change\u00a0that - Eswatini Daily News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/1097\/news\/world\/somalias-education-crisis-why-so-few-children-attend-school-and-what-could-be-done-to-change-that\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Somalia\u2019s education crisis: why so few children attend school and what could be done to change\u00a0that - Eswatini Daily News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the primary barriers to access is conflict. 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