ReliefWeb

Analysis

Achievements Both CHF funded projects involved the rehabilitation of school infrastructure and teacher training programs. The project in Lower Shabelle had an additional school feeding program component for students, teaching and non-teaching staff. The project also incorporated teacher training in psychosocial support and pedagogical skills and life skills training for enrolled students. The project realized an increment in the number of pupils registered due to both improved facilities and the provision of a daily hot meal. At the time of its inception, the community was facing challenges due to insecurity and a prolonged drought which also resulted in movements of people including teachers and pupils out of the area but conversely saw an increment in the numbers enrolled in schools.
The project in Bari was part of an integrated CHF program to support IDPs in Puntland. The education component sought to support basic education in the IDP camp through the construction and rehabilitation of educational infrastructure and the provision of classroom furniture and the construction of a community centre. Teachers and community education committees also benefited from training.

Challenges Consistently inadequate funding remains one of the cluster’s biggest limitations. The nature of the crisis in Somalia has led to the prioritization of emergency lifesaving response over longer term programming. The cluster’s achievement of its objectives is also hampered by untrained teachers, poor infrastructure and lack of effective governance systems.
Girls’ enrollment and attendance and the lack of qualified women teachers due to cultural and social limitations remain a cause for concern as it fosters the existing gender disparities. Cluster partners are increasingly including specific gender plans in their proposals to increase the participation of women in education committees, teaching personnel and sensitization on girls’ enrolment. An effort to address child recruitment through the prioritization of vocational training for young people was hindered by financing shortages.

Best practices/ Lessons learned Community Education Committees (CECs) play a vital role in the governance and sustainability of education institutions in the absence of the Ministry of Education and the cluster will continue to emphasize capacity building support for CECs.
Teacher incentives are vital to support emergency education programs in IDP settlements and emergency affected areas.
School feeding programmes in emergency affected areas not only improve pupils’ nutritional status but facilitate their attendance and retention in school