In Galkayo, 147 children were enrolled into primary school and secondary schools. One school assessment was conducted through focus group discussions to identify the educational needs of refugees and asylum seeker children. All pupils were provided with learning materials, uniforms, and school fees.
In Bossaso 1,698 students were enrolled in primary and secondary education (primary: 816 boys and 754 girls; and in secondary 80 boys and 48 girls). All students were provided with school fees and scholastic materials.
In Somaliland, in accordance with the policy shift from care and maintenance to durable solutions, and in an effort to ensure that refugee and asylum seeker children are accorded the same rights and opportunities as all other children in Somaliland, UNHCR SO Hargeisa in collaboration with NRC and Ministry of Education, continued to integrate new primary school children into the Somaliland Public school system to avoid having NGO-managed parallel system. This approach is also useful to promote co-existence among refugees and host community population. It ensures that children will have access to education documentation and certificates. To facilitate the process, UNHCR aimed in 2017 at supporting selected public schools through construction of additional classrooms or rehabilitation of existing damaged schools, capacity building for teachers and the provision of scholastic materials.
During the reporting period, against the total target of assisting 1,236 students including 1,022 primary school children, 116 secondary school learners and 98 university students, UNHCR and its partner NRC was able to achieve more by facilitating a total of 1,600 students including 1,310 primary, 191 secondary school and 99 University level learners.
Out of the total of 1,310 (including 646 girls) primary school children 863 Ethiopian refugees and asylum seeker children (445 girls) were enrolled in 25 public school as a result of the continued efforts for integration of the Ethiopian community in Somaliland. Another 447 refugee children (201 girls) from Yemen were assisted in private schools due to language barriers. 786 sets of school uniform were provided to primary school children including 385 boys and 401 girls in the 24 public schools in Hargeisa and one in Berbera.
191 secondary school students including 122 from Yemen and 69 from Ethiopia were supported to continue their education in six secondary schools, namely, Ma’arif, Ilays, 26 June, Abur-hureira, Nuradin, Hargeisa, Borame and Hamdan secondary schools. UNHCR, through its partner NRC, provided tuition fee, refreshment, transport and textbooks based on contract agreement signed with respective secondary schools. Besides that school uniforms were also provided to 131 secondary students (63 from Ilays secondary, 37 from Ma’arif Secondary and 31 from Hamdan) while school shoes were provided to 100 secondary students (63 Ilays and 37 Ma’arif).
Similarly 99 students comprising of 89 from Yemen and 10 from Ethiopia were supported with tertiary level education in six universities, namely, University of Hargeisa, Golis, Admas, New Generation, Abaarso Tech and FF (Franc fanon).
24 public schools in Hargeisa and one in Berbera providing primary education to Ethiopian refugee and asylum seekers children were also supported with 857 kits of teaching and learning materials while another 63 secondary school students also received the teaching and learning materials. In order to ensure the personal hygiene needs of girl children in a bid to maintain school enrolment and avoid absenteeism in specific days, 165 refugee girls in the public upper primary and secondary schools in Hargeisa had been provided with sanitary kits containing soft pads, under wears, soap.
Mobilization and sensitization workshops were also conducted during the reporting period targeting 50 teachers and 873 children.