The document summarizes higher education in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, Somalia. It discusses the history and background of higher education in Somalia and Puntland. It notes that higher education opportunities were previously clustered around the capital of Mogadishu. It then provides details on the current state of higher education in Puntland, including the number of universities, students enrolled, and gender disparities. It analyzes weaknesses in the system and outlines the government's policy objectives, framework, and vision to improve access, quality, and relevance of higher education through strategies like increasing funding and establishing a regulatory body.

1. Higher Education in semi-
autonomous State of Puntland,
Somalia
prepared for:
Dr. Nur Sykiran Akmal Bint Ismail
prepared by:
Abdirahman Dahir Jama (818374)
MAY 10TH
2015

2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN
SOMALIA
 The beginning of higher education in Somalia can be traced
back to 1954 when the Higher Institute of Law and Economics
was established in Mogadishu, then the second capital of
Somalia.
 It is noted that before the collapse of the Central government
all the institutions of higher education were clustered around
the capital Mogadisho and this consequently precipitated a
crisis on how to re-establish higher education on a national
scale which provides to all regions of the federal Republic of
Somalia.

3. HIGHER EDUCATION BACKGROUND IN SEMI-
AUTONOMOUS STATE OF PUNTLAND
 Higher Education is characterized by high and relevant
standards of quality with clearly articulated pathways to
opportunities for knowledge and skills development. That is why
University education is universally perceived as playing a crucial
role in national development.
 the fact that Puntland has in recent years been making
considerable efforts to address higher education issues, the
majority of higher education providers are still ill equipped and
managed. there are a number of local institutions of higher
learning registered by the government of Puntland.

4. BACKGROUND CONTINUE...
 However, despite the gradual expansion of higher education
over the recent past in Puntland, challenges to access and
equity remain. These include: inadequate capacity to cater for
the growing demand for more places; mismatch between skills
acquired by university graduates and the imbalance between
institutions; gender and regional disparities.
 There are 4,058 students enrolled in the 8 universities, of whom
3,286 (81%) are male, and only 771 (19%) are female. The 6
colleges currently enrolment 1,260 students of whom 970 (77%)
are male and 290 (23%) female.
 Sources: Ministry of Education, Puntland, Somalia

5. ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT SITUATION
Puntland State has recognized the need for strengthening its
higher education in order to produce competent and human
resource that would support development needs of the region.
An analysis of the needs provided by the stakeholders indicates
that there is inadequate manpower to support delivery of
services in many areas of government. Enrolment in schools are
low compared to eligible candidates who are currently out of
school.

6. CONTINUE............
 there is need to undertake a manpower survey to establish
the extent of the need and hence be able to relate to
capacity required in the existing institutions as well be able
to determine further expansion of higher education and
training opportunities. The consistency of statistics in
training has been hampered by the destruction of records
and physical infrastructure which resulted from the war.
 The higher education has strengths and weaknesses which
may hinder development of higher education.

7. WEAKNESSES,OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS
 WEAKNESSES
 Limited coordination among higher education institutions
 Weak trained managements staff
 Inadequate resources (Human, Financial and Material resources)
 Un-harmonized academic standards
 Lack of Quality assurance mechanisms
 OPPORTUNITIES
 Expending secondary education and increasing number of secondary leavers every year.
 expanding of communication and technology companies.
 Potential local qualified manpower locally and internationally.
 Community confidence and contribution
 Somali Diaspora support to Higher Education Institutions( becoming lecturers, Deans,)
 International partners support( UN, European Union, and others Educational
organizations)

8. CONTINUE....
THREATS
 Lack of national plan and state policy toward development
 Unstable relationship between Puntland state and the Federal Government
 Low income of of some families
 Inadequate of well trained human resource.
 Luck of state fund.
 Crises of legal entity of higher education institutions (private, public, community
owned).

9.  Good quality University Education provision is limited by the
levels of resources, both human and financial
 Existing University Education in Puntland is expensive which
becomes a barrier to entry for a lot of learners
 Gender equality is the big issue in higher education sectors
KEY SPECIFIC PROBLEMS

10. OBJECTIVES THROUGH (HE)
The main policy objectives for higher education will be geared toward promoting
equitable access and to improving the quality and relevance of available
higher education programmes
 Producing high level human capital needed for accelerating the socio-
economic development of the state considering the economic needs of
Puntland context like livestock and fisheries.
 Providing knowledge, skills and services that will help to solve the human
resource problems facing society.
 Tapping universal knowledge, including key technological advances, with a
view to harnessing it for state development and advancing, preserving,
harness and disseminating knowledge and other desirable values.
 Developing and nurturing creativity, innovativeness, critical thinking and
research among students.

11. 06/07/15
Key policies for the Ministry of Education and Commission of Higher Education
 Clear processes and conditions for registration and accreditation;
 Accession to relevant processes of quality assurance;
 Accession to processes of integration and compliance;
 Agreement to public scrutiny of financial status and programme quality;
 A plan for the incorporation of the foundation programme into the school
system will be developed and implemented.
POLICY STATEMENTS

12. POLICY FRAMEWORK
 In order to address the above issues, the Government’s immediate policy priority
is to provide a framework for sustainable, competitive and autonomous national
university system.
 Such a policy objective will take into account the establishment of Commission of
Higher Education (CHE) that will come up with blueprint for the establishment of
public university and strengthen the existing private universities in terms of
quality, relevance and responsiveness to the market needs while at the same time
address critical issues such as reduction of wastage, need to be demand-driven,
gender sensitive, technologically informed, research supported, democratically
managed and globally recognized and marketable.

13. STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS KEY POLICY ISSUES
 Create funds for increased investments in university education; training and research;
Increase Government contribution and identify donor support to fund establishment
of a public university; Provide adequate support for scholarships and affirmative
action to ensure equitable access; Work with existing private universities to develop
and implement capacity building programmes for academics and university
managers; Coordinate, through CHE, a national accreditation system for all tertiary
institutions and universities as a means of guaranteeing quality education and
training.
 Fully implementing the five year Education sector strategic plan that already
government established in 2013

14. STRATEGIC VISION TOWARDS HIGHER EDUCATION BY
( VISION ESSP 2017 )
 The Punland’s strategic vision for higher education is to design and
provide clearly articulated pathways to opportunities for advanced
knowledge and skills development that are characterized by high
standards of quality and are relevant to national development and the
needs of the economy.
 Establish an integrative mechanism for coordination of higher education
in Puntland.
 Enforce quality assurance measures and the required regulations and
conditions for any higher education provider whether local or external
who establishes a university in Puntland.

15. EQUALITY AND EQUITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION
 Equal access of women and men to higher education has been an important
aspect of Puntland government and identified by the international community
as a key measure of progress towards gender equality.
 the ministry of higher education in Puntland has came up an idea in order to
improve women’s eduction particularly higher education and greated a Gender
Unit division.
 However after they greated that division , a women’s higher education has
improved alot and the gross enrolment from The current, 20% are women and
the men are, 60% but women’s enrolment raised to 40% in higher education
 Sources: State Ministery of Women & Family Affairs

16. OUTCOMES
 The first thing that the government has improved is to build a great high school systems
that makes easy for every student to not struggle in his/her University studies and there
is a final exam or centralized exam for all students who graduated in higher schools
around region.
 the quality of universities in Puntland has improved recent years. They are offering
many different faculties and facilities are better now .There are more then nine
universities and colleges some of them are international from neighboring countries.
 And also they give scholarships to the students mostly who cannot afford to pay his/her
tuition fees or student who got high grade in Centralized Exam.

17. OUTCOMES CONTINUE......
 however the ministry of higher education has been working to look for scholarships for
the students to other countries, like Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Jordan, Russia and turkey.
 Fortunately, last two years after the government implemented this vision of education.
There many students who get full scholarship from Turkey, Ethiopia, Uganda, and
Jordan mostly are medicine students. And that scholarships has given equally to every
body who deserve to get this full scholarship.
 in addition to that, the government has made a significant improvement in gross
enrolment, net enrolment and reduction in drop out rates; improve completion and
transition, valid certification of achievement for all students whether proceeding to
further studies, employment, community or home; knowledge, skills, attitudes and
values that promote further learning and a constructive and satisfying lifestyle.

18. CONCLUSION
 However, if the government converts these policies ,already suggested , the education
in region especially in higher education will be better and quality than now .by the way
these Education Policies and Strategies 2013-2017 is the framework that will guide
donor led initiatives aimed at improving and making the education in Puntland at higher
level.
 all these development projects and programmes will be implemented. Some of these
are programmes are financed through bilateral and multilateral assistance. The key
development partners in the education sector include the European Union, UNICEF,
Daikonia, UNESCO, USAID, Save the Children, TASS ,AET, CfBT ,DFID, Danida, Italy and
United Kingdom among others agencies.

19. CONCLUSION
 Government has played an integral role in coordinating and financing recurrent costs in
the education sector. However, the Government budget of 3% to the Ministry is not
sufficient enough to finance its annual recurrent expenditure.

20. RECOMMENDATIONS
 The insignificant number of female higher education lecturers are untenable and flies in
the face of gender balance in the teaching profession. It also negatively influences the
female student enrolment numbers. policies leading to the recruitment of a significant
number of female higher education lecturers should be introduced.
 the government and particularly, the Ministries of Education should establish a
regulatory framework for post-secondary education in order to ensure: that there is a
balance between the number of secondary school leavers seeking higher education and
the universities’ absorptive capacity; that admissions to various faculties are based on the
local economy’s perceived need for trained manpower and technical subjects are given
priority over other subjects

21. The End