With return to peace, Somali children look to the future with hope

Thirteen-year-old Ahmed Abdinur Abukar dreams of being a teacher. This year, in May, he took an important step towards realising that dream and sat for the national Primary Education Certificate examinations in Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education says over 60 000 students across the country sat for their end of year national examinations for primary and secondary school in May and June, a continuation of a positive trajectory in the education sector thanks to the return of relative peace and security after years of war, turmoil and ruin. The improved security continues to remarkably increase student enrollment in school. So, too, an improvement in the quality of education.
The Federal Government of Somalia has invested heavily in education. In the 2021 budget, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education was allocated US$10.5 million most of which, according to education officials, has gone into the rehabilitation and construction of schools and offices to accommodate the huge number of school enrolment since the government introduced free primary and secondary school education.