The project is contributing to the Government of Somalia’s priority objective of increasing access to primary education by facilitating the enrollment of 80,600 marginalized children, with a focus on girls and those affected by displacement and conflict. By accessing a quality, equitable education, the most vulnerable children will have greater chances to contribute to their communities and to become equal partners in Somalia’s development.
Background
While 46% of Somalia’s population is under the age of 151, only 14% of the children in South-Central Somalia are enrolled in primary school.2 Girls and pastoralist children are disproportionally more likely to be out of school. Educate Your Children II is working with Federal and State Ministries of Education to address barriers to education for children affected by instability, displacement, social exclusion, traditional gender norms, and poverty in Somalia. The project’s intervention is informed by CARE’s extensive research on best practices to boost enrolment, retention and learning outcomes in Somalia.
Intervention
Educate Your Children II works with government partners, communities, and schools to enable marginalized children to enroll in school, acquire literacy and numeracy skills, and transition to higher education levels. The project operates in Banaadir, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland, Puntland, and South-West states of Somalia, focusing on communities affected by conflict, displacement, and drought. The project’s integrated approach includes community sensitization to education; fee-free enrollment for ultra-marginalized children; teacher training on subject content and gender-equal, inclusive, and non-violent classroom management; and strengthened oversight of quality of education by community education committees and government officials. The project works with religious and traditional leaders to boost support for formal education and girls’ enrollment.
Project achievements
Enrollment of out-of-school children: Educate Your Children II has enrolled a total of 48,738 (47% girls) out-of-school children in 160 primary schools and 11,025 (52% girls) in accelerated education. Among the first cohort of children enrolled in 2021, 82% had never attended school, 18% were displaced, and 10% have a disability.
Ensuring quality teaching: The project recruited and trained 487 teachers (13% female) to deliver formal and accelerated education classes. The training included child-centered, inclusive practices and improved delivery of literacy and numeracy content. The project is supporting the Ministries of Education to monitor the quality of education and coach teachers on improved practices.
Availability of learning materials: The project distributed learning materials to students and teachers in 77 primary schools. Educate Your Children II has also provided 5,010 student textbooks and teachers’ guides to accelerated education classes.