Education for Girls
Projects
Girls in the Puntland have often been declined the right to education due to many cultural factors, for example gender stereotypes, early marriage and prejudice traditions. Boys tend to be encouraged to attend school in Somali society but girls are often held back. Before 2005, around 95% of girls have dropped out of primary school with very few managing to stay on for secondary school.
TASS has pioneered education for girls in Puntland by financially supporting their schooling since 2001 in partnership with Oxform Novib. The objective is to increase and retain girl enrolment in schools. TASS works under the belief that educating a boy is the equivalent to educating an individual, but educating a girl leads to educating a nation.
Changing Attitudes
TASS believes community confidence can be enhanced by promoting knowledge, information and expertise. It has used this approach to influence the negative attitudes impeding the education of girls. To encourage enrolment of Somali girls in schools, TASS undertook three campaigns targeting an initial population of 1,200 girls. The campaign itself involved collating respondents’ views towards girls’ education. It joined forces with its sister organisation, the Girls Development Association (GDA). TASS undertook a number of intensive community mobilisation campaigns ostensibly geared at championing girls’ education including access, placement, retention and promotion at all levels. The activities earmarked for the campaigns were tailor-made to influence parents to send their children to school and for children to understand that they have the right to education regardless of their gender. The message was; education is a basic right for all as exemplified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The events included meetings, workshops, lectures, discussions and posters. TASS also took advantage of the growing influence of media in Puntland. Hence, discussions about gender disparities in education were broadcast on radio and during prime time television.
To gauge parental and community perceptions on the education of the girl-child, TASS organised mini-workshops with a view to sensitise and help communities appreciate the importance of education for girls. In particular, the workshops sought to change widespread negative assumptions of the community towards girls being educated. Through such discussions, community members suggested ideas on how to better manage and safeguard educational institutions as well as rendering support to initiatives that would take education in Puntland to the next level. Characteristically, such initiatives as involving parents in face-to-face deliberations have been proven to boost school figures. TASS hopes to sustain these efforts in future as well as search for more innovative ways that parents may be engaged in to give a shot in the arm to educational initiatives in Somalia.
TASS has targeted support for girls to enrol in schools by providing free education, school kits, uniforms and recognition awards to encourage improved classroom performances. The beneficiaries of this support are girls from poor backgrounds whose parents or guardians cannot afford to pay school fees and other requirements like exercise books, uniforms and kits. TASS has sponsored excursion trips for girls in local schools as well as inter-school competitions between girls in varied educational as well as co-curricular activities. Beneficiaries exchanged ideas, engaged in play, life-skill building among the many activities lined up on such outings. They were given rewards, such as clothes, stationery, to enhance self-motivation. All these were productive engagements and welcome pastimes that promoted the beneficiaries’ thirst for continued stay in school and encouraged individual and team play.
The same messages were repeated in schools in a tactful way not to discriminate boys but rather, to encourage boys accepting that girls too deserve to be in school. This was vital for girls’ retention, boosting their self-morale and motivation. On some occasions, TASS had high profile female personalities visit the schools to give career talks that served also to role-model the girls.
Female teacher training
Closely tied to the dismal numbers of girls in schools is the acute shortage of female teachers across the entire education system in Somalia. Before TASS began its education project, the ratio of female teachers to their male counterparts in primary schools in Puntland was approximately 1:4. One explanation for this is that most female teachers quit the teaching profession following the civil war in Somalia. The absence or acute shortage of female teachers in schools has over the years had a knock-on effect on access and drop-out rates of girls.
In an attempt to redress this problem, TASS decided to establish a two year pre-service teacher training centre to produce qualified female teachers. Training began in September 2004 and completed in May 2006 when graduated teachers were employed to teach at schools run by TASS. They were awarded certificates signed by the Puntland Minister for Education, giving them authenticity and credibility. Creating teachers not only ensures jobs for these individuals but encourages wealth creation in the region.
The posting of female teachers employed to especially tutor girls and their colleagues is an affirmative action meant to give impetus to the initiative. It also provided role-models to girls and served to stem dropout rates among them.
Achievements
- community education committee have been trained
- female teachers have been trained
- girl enrolment in schools has increased from 20% (2001) to 48% (2009)
- lower dropout rates of girl students from school
- change of social attitudes to accept equality of education amongst boys and girls