(ERGO) – Ruqiyo Abdirahman enrolled two of her daughters in Luq Primary School in southwestern Somalia’s Gedo region this year, after changing her mind about the value of educating girls.
The district education department has been campaigning hard to change parents’ views about girls’ education – and it seems to be paying off.
Until this year, only two of her sons and one daughter were in school. Ruqiyo had felt there was no point educating the older girls as they would probably marry soon.
“I used to see educating a girl as useless because I needed them to do housework, but now I understand that they play crucial roles in society if they are educated.
In the future, they can help their children with their knowledge. I also understand that they are the backbone of society, so I am ready to educate my girls!” she declared.
Luq district education officer, Adan Abdullahi Hassan, told Radio Ergo that around half of the 3,985 pupils in the primary schools in town were now girls. The authority has been collaborating with a number of agencies to encourage education, especially for girls.
“We toured one school where the girls now outnumber the boys,” Adan said. “This results from people having understood the importance of girls’ education from the campaigns led by the agencies promoting education.”
Adan said girls’ performance at school was outstripping the boys.
“We analysed their exam results and I believe that the girls did better than the boys,” he said. “In last year’s class exams in Jubbaland, the first and second positions were won by two girls.”
Farah Sheikh Adow, the head teacher of Luq Primary School, one of the largest schools in the district with nearly 1,000 children, said 186 new students were enrolled this year and half of them were girls. The school now has a total of 400 girls enrolled.
The school provides hygiene kits including sanitary pads and several other items to the girls.
Istahil Hassan Osman, a mother who enrolled her daughter in school this year, said she wanted to provide the opportunity she had never had in her own childhood.
“In my childhood nobody cared about educating us girls. Our main work was washing clothes, cooking meals, and doing other housework. But this is a new dawn for the girls!” Istahil said.
Five schools in Luq town are providing free education with support from several international NGOs, including Trocaire, Norwegian Refugee Council and Norwegian Church Aid. There are 52 schools in the whole district.
