The Hindrances to Excellence in Secondary School Education in Puntland State, Somalia

Abstract

The main intent of this study is to examine if secondary education in Somalia, particularly in Puntland, meets both as a transition between primary and tertiary education and agreed quality indicators such as access/enrolment, retention, and transition. That could be attributed to elements such as funding, teacher preparation programs, student-teacher ratio, class-teacher ratio, or educational facilities, and both direct and indirect costs of secondary education were the main topics of the data gathering. The findings are presented in a logical sequence of tables, numbers, figures, and statistical inferences that address the goals and objectives, discussion, and recommendations. The retention of enrolment and transition into either the workforce or tertiary education has been examined. It was found that only 18% of students were enrolled in secondary school. When comparing the enrolment rates for boys and girls, there is a noticeable difference between the two genders, with 62% for boys and 38% for girls. This may be an indicator of the compromised quality of secondary education in the nation, based on inadequate facilities, ineffective instructional delivery, and maintenance of standards. The above sheds light on the secondary school dropout rate in the nation, and Puntland in particular, as, on average, just 15% of candidates for the Form IV final exam passed the four secondary stages and appeared in the final generalised certificated examination. The average student-classroom ratio and student-teacher ratio are 40±6:1 and 30±7:1, respectively, which subsequently indicates the less one-on-one time with students and teachers and less individualised instruction. The last six years’ trends for secondary teachers and schools have also been tested to determine gender parity and gathered that only 5% have been female instructors. Similarly, the certified teachers are almost four times as many as the qualified ones. In addition, the female pre-service teachers trained were a mere 28%, while the in-service ones were 29% of their male counterparts. Female subject preferences were 8%, 42%, and 35% in math/physics, biology/chemistry, and history/geography, correspondingly. The average cost of fees per month was found to have been $36.4±9.4 per child. The study highlights that the Puntland administration, with the aid of international funders and partner NGOs, to revisit their rule of engagement as far as the secondary school states of enrolment and dropouts are concerned; increase the number of teachers, particularly female teachers; and train school teachers to first lower the high student-teacher and pupil-classroom ratios and bolster the quality of the delivered education in order to lower dropout rates and improve enrolment, retention, and transition into the workforce or tertiary education. Educational reforms are to be formulated periodically to meet the future needs of education financing