ReliefWeb

SUMMARY

Somalia has one of the world’s lowest enrolment rates for primary school‐aged children – 42 per cent of children are in school. Of those, only 36 per cent are girls. The number of out‐of‐school and at risk children and youth aged 6‐18 years has been estimated at 4.4 million, out of a total population of 9.2million.

The G2S Initiative: Educating for Resilience (2013‐2016) for Somalia emanated out of direct request by the Minister of Human Development and Public Service, Somalia Federal Republic (SFR) to UNICEF in response to the urgent need for a massive expansion of education services to be achieved in part by engaging Somali youth as a resource group. The target beneficiaries are 1 million children and youth who are currently out‐of‐school in Somalia. The initial challenge is 1 million in one year. Multi‐year funding will be utilised to implement the programme.

UNICEF’s strong comparative advantage within the Somali Education Sector means that it is well‐placed to support the development of the G2S Initiative Document as well as a resource mobilisation plan. However, achieving this ambitious goal will require strong coordination and harmonisation among the donors currently engaged in supporting the provision of equitable, quality basic education in Somalia. Key donors like the EU, USAID, DFID, and the Government of the Netherlands, who have remained fully engaged in the Somali education sector, are well positioned to provide the creative synergies and programme dovetailing needed to ensure that the target is met. In addition, there are new donors who are eager to promote complementary programming that is aligned with the Education Sector Strategic Plans. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funding, which has come on‐stream early in 2013, will fill some of the Ministries’ funding gaps, particularly around strengthening teacher management systems, which will result in improved absorption of new learners and all the important learning outcomes in schools across Somalia. UNICEF’s role will continue to be one of coordination, advocacy and partnership strengthening. Other UN agencies such as UNESCO and WFP will support lower secondary education and School Feeding programmes respectively.

There has never been a more opportune time during the last two decades than now to act on behalf of Somali children and youth. Improvement in access to people in need, especially in the SFR regions, has opened up a rare window of opportunity. Within this operating space there is a chance to focus on resilience programming. Building resilience through education is critical. While initial costs may be higher than traditional life‐sustaining emergency education programmes, educating for resilience is the most effective way to assist Somalis in the move from crisis to sustainable development.

Significant donor support and government commitment is now urgently needed to enable at least I million children and youth – a quarter of the total estimated number of out‐of‐school children and youth – to be given the opportunity to realise the right to a quality basic education that is appropriate for their age and lifestyle. The G2S Initiative calls for all education stakeholders to unite for children and youth in Somalia and to strengthen their resilience through education.