Somali School Struggle is a reality that every family in the country deals with because getting a good education is like trying to climb a mountain with no shoes. For more than thirty years the system was broken and even though we see some new buildings today the quality is still not where it needs to be. This Somali School Struggle starts with the fact that there are not enough public schools so parents have to pay a lot of money to private ones which most people cannot afford. If you walk through the streets of Mogadishu or Baidoa you will see many kids working in the markets instead of sitting in a classroom because of this Somali School Struggle that keeps them trapped in poverty. Even when a child find a seat in a school the books are often old or come from different countries which makes the learning very confusing for a young mind. We are trying to fix things but the Somali School Struggle is deep and it needs more than just a few new classrooms to go away for good.
The reason why this Somali School Challenge is so hard to defeat is that the government doesn’t have enough money to pay the teachers a fair salary. Most of the people standing in front of the students are doing it because they love their country but they haven’t been trained properly in modern ways of teaching. This Somali School Challenge is also about the lack of safety in some areas where schools are still seen as targets or where fighting can break out at any moment. When a school has to close for a month because of a security problem it adds to the Somali School Challenge by making the kids forget what they learned. Many girls especially face a bigger Somali School Challenge because they are expected to stay home and help with the chores instead of finishing their high school degrees. It is a very sad situation but we have to talk about it openly if we want to find a real solution that works for everyone.
7 Main Problems Facing the Somali School Struggle
First the Somali School Challenge is made worse by the high price of uniforms and pens which sounds like a small thing but for a poor family it is a huge wall. Second there is a big problem with “ghost teachers” who get a paycheck but never show up to class which is a corrupt part of the Somali School Challenge. Third many schools don’t have clean water or toilets which makes it very hard for students to stay healthy and focused.
Fourth the Somali School Challenge includes the lack of a single language for teaching as some use Arabic and others use English or Somali. Fifth there are no real libraries or laboratories for science which means the Somali School Challenge is mostly just memorizing words from a chalkboard. Sixth the nomadic way of life makes the Somali School Challenge unique because we need schools that can move with the people and their animals. Seventh and finally the Somali School Challenge suffers because there is no help for children with special needs or disabilities who are often left behind completely.
Hope for the Future of Somali School Struggle
Even with all these dark clouds we are starting to see some light in the Somali School Struggle through the use of radio and mobile phone lessons. This new technology is helping to bring the classroom to the bushes where the camels are so that the Somali School Struggle becomes a little bit easier for the rural kids. The government is also working on a new law that will make it mandatory for every child to go to school for free which would be a giant step in ending the Somali School Struggle forever. We need to keep pushing for more international support and better management of our own resources to give our youth a chance.
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The Somali School Struggle is a battle for the soul of our nation and it is one we cannot afford to lose if we want peace. If we can turn the schools into safe places where every child is welcome then we can finally say goodbye to the Somali School Struggle and hello to a new era. It will take a lot of years and a lot of hard work from every father and mother but it is the only path forward.
