Teacher From War-Torn Somalia Shares His Story on International Literacy Day

Mohamud Hussein's childhood was rough. At an early age he sensed the violence in the capital, Mogadishu. In 2006, at the height of the civil war, he lost his father, who was killed by Ethiopian armed militias in the same city.

"My mother became the breadwinner of my family comprising 10 children. Due to heavy fighting in Mogadishu in 2006 between government forces allied with Ethiopian forces and clan militias we shifted to Adado district in Galmudug state [central Somalia]," Mohamud Hussein told Sputnik Africa in an interview.

In 2006, radical Islamist groups the Islamic Courts Union and the al-Qaeda*-linked al-Shabaab* seized Mogadishu, forcing Somalia's transitional authorities to seek help from neighboring Ethiopia. A year later, the militants were driven out of the capital by joint Ethiopian and government forces, but al-Shabaab has not stopped its terrorist activities, jeopardizing the daily lives and stability of Somalis today.

As the Somalian previously said, he was "born into a life dictated by civil strife" and was exposed to bloody scenes "at a tender age."

In fact, it was not only God who helped him in this endeavor, Mohamud himself put in the effort and walked purposefully towards his goal. He completed high school and university in Galmudug state and then enrolled at SIMAD University in the capital, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics.

Somali teacher Rufai Mohamud Hussein

The education paved the way for his professional career in teaching children, something he has been doing for ten years now and relishes.

"When I am in class I really enjoy teaching young children, I cope very well with the harsh environment in my country and can adapt my teaching method," Hussein remarked.

The teacher's educational methodology focuses on teaching children to read, write and think, through so they "develop the ability to read complex text in the Somali language or English."

Somali teacher Rufai Mohamud Hussein

At the Imam-Malik primary school, where he is also the deputy principal, he pays attention to the discipline of students, with the principal strictly monitoring their attendance and calling parents of truant students to clarify the reasons for their absence. The teacher added that his students come from the Adado town and its surroundings.

Education in Somalia

Speaking about the challenges facing modern Somalia in the field of education, the teacher noted that they include shortages of supplies and staff.

"By and large most of our schools in Somalia share the same challenges which include lack of enough classrooms, teaching aid materials and lack of enough trained teachers," Mohamud remarked.

However, he noted that the teaching profession has recently become increasingly competitive, popular and in demand among Somalis. In addition, the government has launched special colleges for teacher training.

"The federal government in hand with regional governments have established teaching colleges to train teachers and that also made more students enroll in teaching colleges which will run for two years," Mohamud concluded.

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International Literacy Day was established in 1966 after an Iranian conference on the eradication of illiteracy.

Since 1967, this international day has been celebrated annually to remind the public of the importance of literacy within the context of human dignity and human rights, and to galvanize efforts to build more literate and sustainable societies.

As of 2023, 750 million adults still lack basic reading and writing skills, according to the World Literacy Foundation, a global nonprofit organization focusing on improving literacy rates. The foundation added that about 258 million children and youth are out of school.

*Al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab are terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries