Show Education has a champion in Somalia Edmund Sanders Los Angeles Times A nation overwhelmed overwhelm d dby by civil war flooding and most recently the threat of starvation might be forgiven for overlooking the to back-to- school season But has devoted his life to making sure his corner of Somalia never forgets Over the last 14 years has emerged as a leading education advocate in this Horn of Africa country one of the many unsung heroes who have stepped up to fill the void left by the governments government's collapse in 1991 As he does each year the father of eight recently made the rounds in 60 m miles Ies north of Mogadishu the capital collecting enrollment figures assessing teacher curricula and reminding parents and community leaders about the importance of putting children in s school hop His Educational Umbrella which functions as a de facto school board is largely responsible for rebuilding the regions region's education system which has grown from a single schoolroom with 40 students in 1993 to schools and students today Education is the light said I want to tomake tomake tomake make sure you young g p people ople dont don't miss out The year old attributed his motivation to overcoming personal challenges as a child A About About About bout with polio at age 5 left him without use of his legs Ive lived with a h handicap myself so I know what that's like he said Lack of education is just another kind of handicap Much of the time he gets around town on a specially built wheel four-wheel motorbike or in a wheelchair But often he walks on his hands protected by a pair of well- well worn sandals using a powerful upper body to go up steps and climb into cars without assistance Aid groups say his efforts I I have pushed the primary primal school enrollment rate to 24 percent in the Middle region which includes Though still relatively low that's the highest in southern Somalia where only about one in five children attends school Hes someone who never gets tired of working for what hes he's committed to said Marian education manager in the office of the United Nations Childrens Children's Fund or UNICEF Somalia's school system disintegrated in 1991 I when the dictatorship of Maj Gen Mohamed Siad Barre Bane was toppled and the country descended into clan-based clan civil war Government institutions were the first to collapse schools were ransacked and teachers fled the country Lack of education represents one of the country's biggest challenges as it tries to r rebuild with a generation of f youth who can bar barely ly read or write Drug addiction is is high among young men many of whom work as militiamen for warlords and are paid in khat a narcotic-like narcotic plant Somalia went from one of Africa's most literate nations with a rate of 60 percent in the to one of the least with about 25 percent today This is going to have implications for generations said said he got involved in education after losing his job as an accountant for the local sugar factory which closed down in 1990 amid Somalia's mounting related clan-related clashes The collapse of the vh JO r factory left several thousand people unemployed and desperate It was followed by a related drought-related famine that killed hundreds of thousands and his wife lost their firstborn to disease before the boy turned 2 I was practically begging for food he recalled In 1993 community leaders reopened a local primary primal school and found work teaching math In the years that followed he became more active in the school eventually helping to establish the umbrella group which organized the reopening of additional schools in and surrounding villages The group also established minimum academic standards recruited teachers and raised money from foreign aid groups and local charities became a fixture in the region sometimes going door to door to convince parents clerics and warlords of the importance of reopening schools I felt the community needed me he said Mindful of the challenges he sometimes faced in school launched a special class for disabled students which he taught under a tree until funding was obtained ned in toM 2000 build a classroom Likewise he added education adult-education ch classes ses' ses after discovering how many adults missed the chance to attend school When I was young girls were just ignored said Ali AH 46 who sells gasoline from plastic drums in main market She complained to that her customers were defrauding her and she was helpless to stop them because she could not read and write They would take shillings in ingas ingas ingas gas but only write down she recalled enrolled her in one of 17 primary primal schools that cater to people above age 18 It was a little embarrassing at first said but now I can even figure out my profits The school system survives today on student fees of about 1 per month Humanitarian groups such as UNICEF provide books teacher training and money to build new classrooms The US U.S. Agency for International Development or donated solar-power solar radios so teachers can tune in to instructional programming business owners and religious groups also provide funding The only government funding in the last 16 years came four years ago when the reg- reg to to pay te teacher cher salaries at seven schools in in the the 1 II region But the warl warlord rd Mohammed Dheere who is now Mogadishu's mayor raised the money in part by taxing teachers' teachers income Dheere whose given name is Mohammed Omar Habeb was ousted as a warlord last year by the Islamic Courts Union which seized control of most of southern Somalia in June 2006 Many refugees have settled around where is attempting to organize classes in di displacement placement camps r In addition floods are destroying local crops leading aid groups to warn recently that more than local children are aren n malnourished and at risk for starvation Its It's not surprising that I early enrollment figures at some schools were down when classrooms reopened in late September Primal Primary School in N JJ enrolled kids during the first week of enrollment compared with last year That's unacceptable to He has kicked into gear launching public- public awareness campaigns to boost figures Local radio 1 spots feature students g a showing off their math and reading skills Hes He's pushing Somalia's transitional government and the regional governor to make sch school o a attendance e r i JT r r r 1 compulsory ory A v J wr Hes He's even using Somalia's clan-based clan rivalries which h have been at the root of the i nations nation's turmoil sometimes collects clan- clan based enrollment figures to create competition warning one clan that a rival is doing a better job at educating its youth of If it will get kids back into school said well tl whatever we try we can n. n I oJ 1 |