1. WORKING WITH SOMALI PEOPLE TO BUILD PEACE AND PROSPERITY
EDUCATION Ensuring access to quality education and employment opportunities
THE CHALLENGES
Despite major improvements, Somalia still has one of the world’s lowest school enrolment rates and poverty remains the main reason for parents not to send their children to school. Access to education in rural areas is another challenge and gender inequalities are found throughout the education system. Only a quarter of the female population and half of the male population is literate and pastoralist communities are particularly disadvantaged. 60% of teachers lack formal training and are paid poorly and irregularly. In south and central regions, opportunities for public education are limited as the vast majority of primary and secondary schools are managed by non-state providers. Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) inadequately responds to high youth unemployment, or to labour-market needs. Higher Education offers are emerging, but in the absence of regulation and teaching staff capacity, quality is low.
OUR SUPPORT
The EU support to the education sector in Somalia follows a Sector Wide Approach (SWAP), addressing priorities articulated by the education authorities in their strategic plans. Support is mainly targeted at strengthening education systems for the delivery of good-quality public education. These interventions promote the provision of primary and secondary education, expanding vocational training opportunities, enhancing the capacity of teaching staff and education administrations, developing a curriculum framework and holding centralised examinations. In addition, the EU supports payment of teacher salaries through country systems. EU interventions are implemented by competitively selected consortia of non-governmental organisations, selected on the basis of sector knowledge, experience and local acceptance. A strategic review of EU support to the sector carried out in early 2018 identified the need to refocus the SWAPs by investing in equitable primary and secondary education. This would allow building on NGOs' core competencies and limiting the number of partners in consortia.
OUR RESULTS
The EU supported the enrolment and retention of 34,473 primary and 15,053 secondary school learners in 2017, which represents 24 and 60 percent of enrolled students respectively. On top of that, the EU has financed elements such as curriculum, examinations and policies leading to the evolution of a genuine Somali education system. In 2017, the EU also contributed substantively to increasing the number of youth and adults having relevant technical and vocational skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. Projects targeting education and training, resilience building, durable solutions or economic growth have jointly allowed 6,773 people to benefit from TVET and skills development interventions. Out of them, 3,115 benefited from start-up grants and kits in order to start entrepreneurial activities in the sector targeted, and increase their business profits. Progress has been made in establishing teacher payrolls and payment of salaries through government systems. Linked to this, 2,700 teachers are being paid salaries though the World Bank's RCRF project. Important groundwork has been undertaken on the development of higher education policy and regulatory framework, as well as on improving the conditions for an institutionalised labour market-oriented TVET system.
OUR CONTACTS
Olivier Louis – Head of Section
Mohamed Sabul – Programme Manager Education
Alix Wurdak – Programme Manager Education & TVET
OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
ADRA
Africa Educational Trust
CARE
GIZ
Save the Children
World Bank