Girls education key for Somalia

  1. Posted on Saturday 8 March 2008 - 09:13
    neondo
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    Henry Neondo
    Though the past ten years have seen a threefold increase in the number of Somali girls enrolled in school, UNICEF Representative for Somalia, Christian Balslev-Olesen in Somalia says only one girl in four gets a primary education.
    "This is a situation that must change rapidly because the education of girls will shape the progress we want to see for Somalia in terms of peace and development", he said Friday.

    His comments come as the world prepares to commemorate International Women's Day on 8 March.

    According to the UNICEF Representative much more must be done - and faster - to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of gender parity and 100% enrolment of girls in primary school.

    "The education of girls is paramount in the fight against poverty; against infant, child and maternal mortality and national under-development", says Balslev-Olesen, "However, if wide-spread, large-scale resources are allocated to girls' education it would make a tremendous difference to the progress that Somalia can make in terms of recovery and reconciliation".

    With some of the worst school enrolment rates in the world, a recent Primary Education Survey of Somalia conducted by UNICEF shows girls' gross enrolment at 25%, while boys' gross enrolment is 37%. At present, only some 121,000 Somali girls attend primary school and UNICEF hopes to see at least 50, 000 girls in school by 2009.

    Although UNICEF's work over the years with communities, local authorities and partners has yielded results in getting more children into school - especially girls' the children's agency wants local authorities and the international community to invest much more in Somalia's education sector.

    Seventeen years without a central government in Somalia has resulted in an education system that lacks a national education policy, copes with inadequate infrastructure and equipment and relies mostly on low-qualified volunteer teachers.

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