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| Somalia: Scarce Educational Opportunities Affect Overall National Development |
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| News - Education |
| Tuesday, 29 September 2009 16:15 |
 SILVER SPRING, Md.--With one of the lowest primary school enrollment rates in the world, millions of Somali children are likely to remain poor, a concern that affects not only the children and their families, but the future development of the nation as a whole, reported the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).To address this problem, ADRA and a consortium of partners, have been implementing SIBES, or Support to Integrated Basic Education Services, in an effort to increase enrollment rates and improve access to quality education for more than 10,500 children between the ages of six and 14, and 5,200 youth and adults within the regions of Puntland, and Somaliland. ADRA Somalia, for its part of the implementation, is targeting 2,600 children and 2,200 adults in 26 schools and adult centers in the Nugal and Mudug regions of Puntland. "There is a danger of an increase in 'capability poverty' if large numbers of children do not gain the benefits that they need to develop successfully from the basic education system," said Samuel Muthamia, programs assistant for ADRA Somalia. Capability poverty is a term that reflects a lack of basic, or minimally essential human capabilities, that are needed to lift one from income poverty and to sustain strong human development, such as nourishment, reproductive health, and literacy. Since its inception, this two-year project has been providing training and support for teachers, Community Education Committee members, Ministry of Education (MOE) staff, and other educational authorities. To provide students with an environment that is conducive to learning, the project utilizes many methods, including constructing, renovating, and furnishing local schools, establishing a mobile school for the pastoral community, and creating adult literacy centers. SIBES also supports the construction of hygiene and sanitation facilities, and distributes educational supplies for both teachers and students, including textbooks, pens, pencils and relevant instructional materials. Many of the children targeted in the project, come from groups that face distinct disadvantages, including children from farming families, minority groups, children with disabilities, and girls. To improve their rates of enrollment, and create equal opportunities within the communities, awareness activities are integral to the implementation of the project. Topics that are addressed through these activities include girls' education, HIV/AIDS, harmful traditional practices, gender, and peace and reconciliation. Parents and other community members are also benefitting by acquiring valuable skills in numeracy and literacy, interpersonal communication, and other life skills. "Achieving a good education is a fundamental right of every child," said Muthamia. "Through this project, the children learn strategies that directly contribute to poverty alleviation, and teach them how to improve their quality of life." The SIBES project is funded by the European Commission, and has been implemented in partnership by Save the Children United Kingdom, Save the Children Denmark, and ADRA Somalia. In Somalia, a child of primary school age has a one in five chance of attending school. The situation is even more dire in rural areas, as shown in the 2006/2007 UNICEF Primary Schools Survey, which reported that of the 1,855 schools functioning in the country, the majority of them were located in and around urban areas. ADRA has been operating in Somalia since 1992, implementing emergency relief and development interventions in various sectors, including water, primary health, education, food security, infrastructure, institutional capacity building and economic development. ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity. For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.  Share this article with others:      The comment section is restricted to members only. |
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