EDUCATION FACT SHEET - SOMALILAND

Country In Brief Population

● 3.5 million
● Urban Population: 1.6 million
Size
● 137,600 square kilometers
Capital
● Hargiesa (pop. 1.1 million)
Currency
● Somaliland Shillings, USD
Languages
● Somali, Arabic, English
Religion
● Sunni Islam

Country Context While the Italians colonized Somalia, Somaliland became a British protectorate in
and Government 1884. Somaliland is a self-declared sovereign state of Somalia that became
independent in 1991 after years of civil war. The constitution was approved in May of
2001, and the government comprises three branches: legislative, executive, and
judicial. There is a parliament comprising two chambers, the House of
Representatives and the House of Elders, and a President and Vice President elected
through a three-party system.
Education Overview National Curriculum: Yes
Education System:
● Early Childhood Education
With a growing awareness of the importance of Early Childhood Education, there
are a total of 184 ECE centers, 83% of those being managed by the private sector
and NGOs, and the remaining 17% managed by the Ministry of Education.

● Islamic Education
Madrasas (centers of Islamic/Quranic education) are a common education choice
in Somaliland and are distinct from public or private schools. They are overseen
by the Ministry of Endowment and Islamic Affairs, who are trying to oversee and
harmonize the curriculum. These are private (for-fee) institutions. There are a
total of 644 Madrasas, with 100,000 students in Hargeisa.

● Primary Education
There are 1,274 primary schools in Somaliland, 73.5% being public schools, and
communities, NGOs, or individuals privately own 26.5%.

● Secondary Education
There are significantly fewer secondary schools in Somaliland than primary
schools: only 210. One hundred eleven of those are public, and communities,
NGOs, or individuals privately own 99.

● Higher Education
Many higher education institutions are for-profit. There is only curriculum
harmonization for medical and education degrees, whereas all other degrees
have unknown requirements.

Teacher Training
In the fall of 2022, the National Commission of Higher Education (NCHE)
conducted a curriculum harmonization for all accredited teacher-training
programs in Somaliland to standardize the required qualifications and courses
required by teachers in primary and secondary schools in Somaliland.

In 2019, the Somaliland National College of Education was founded to provide

in-service training and credentials for public school teachers to improve their
skills and subject knowledge.

Literacy:
● Youth: 42% for school children ages 6 to 13.
● Adult: The overall literacy rate for adults is 31%, with females at just 26%
and males at 36%.

Language of Instruction:
● Primary: Somali
● Secondary: English
School System Primary: 8 years (grades 1-8)
Secondary: 4 years (form 1-4)

Exams
National Examinations for Primary and Secondary are administered each year in
June. Students must receive a minimum grade to attend Secondary Schools and
Higher Education Institutions.

Primary National Examination: Students are tested on seven subject areas.

1. English
2. Math
3. Somali
4. Arabic
5. Science
6. Islam
7. Social

Secondary National Examination: Students are tested on ten subject areas.

1. English
2. Math
3. Somali
4. Arabic
5. Biology
6. Physics
7. Chemistry
8. History
9. Geography
10. Islam

Issues with the Teacher: Student Ratio

Education System There is an average of 50 students per classroom.

Teacher Qualifications
Only 55% of primary teachers in the country are trained, with only 10% being
female.

Fees Required
Though public schools are ‘free,’ there can still be additional costs for families
they cannot always afford. This can be an informal fee set by the school,
uniforms, and materials such as pencils and notebooks.

Regional Disparity
There are 1,487 rural settlements in Somaliland, with 662 having no educational
facility.

Gender
In primary schools, only 19% of teachers are female, whereas in secondary, that
percentage is significantly lower at only 4%.
 For student enrollment, females have lower rates of enrollment compared to
males, with the total enrollment for the primary school being 45% girls and 55%
boys.

Retention
Student enrollment significantly decreases from grade 1 up to grade 8. The total
student enrollment in the country for grade 1 was 49,840, reducing to 27,310 for
grade 8.

Academic Integrity
There are widespread concerns with the integrity of national examinations that
are administered across the country.

Curriculum Language vs. Actual Language of Instruction While the national

secondary curriculum is in English, teachers do not always have the required
fluency and often instruct from English resources in Somali.

School Ages
Only 24% of age-appropriate children are enrolled in primary school, with only
13% of age-appropriate students enrolled in grade 1.

Academic Calendar The academic year for primary and secondary schools begins in August and
continues until May or June. Different schools and regions have autonomy
over their exact start dates.

Certain regions have adjustments due to weather/climate and pastoral

patterns. Students generally attend school for around 5 hours a day. During
the holy month of Ramadan, students have shortened schedules due to
fasting.

SAT Test Centers Abaarso School of Science and Technology was approved for a pilot test in
June 2020. It was the only official SAT test center in Somaliland for 2020-21.

ACT Test Centers Abaarso School of Science and Technology is the only official ACT test center
in Somaliland.

TOFEL/IELTS Test No TOEFL or IELTS testing centers are available in the country and
Centers prospective university candidates who need one of these tests are
required to travel to Kenya, Ethiopia, or Djibouti.

Duolingo English Test (DET) is currently the only recognized English

proficiency test available in the country.

HALI Contacts Elizabeth Ollerhead

Director of Post Abaarso and Institutional Learning
[email protected]
 Sophia LaPoint
Development Manager
[email protected]

Sources:
● https://www.somalilandbiz.com/country-profile/
● https://mfa.govsomaliland.org/article/government-1
● https://www.refworld.org/docid/5ad453514.html
● https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/africa/british-somaliland/#:~:text=Glossary-,Ov
er view,was%20administered%20by%20a%20Commissioner
● https://moe.govsomaliland.org/article/commercialization-education-somaliland-and-social-injustice#:~:text=Furthe
r more%2C%20there%20are%20644%20madrasas,the%20population%20in%20the%20country
● https://www.educationcannotwait.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/Somaliland%20ECW%20MYRP_Final.pdf