(ERGO) – Abdiweli Abdullahi Aden is now fully capable of managing the lives of his family of 15, after securing a job at Omar Al-Faruq Primary, Middle, and High School in Adado town in November 2024.
He is one of 400 teachers hired by the Galmudug Ministry of Education after passing a proficiency exam. These teachers are now working in various schools across the administrative areas of Galmudug.
Abdiweli, who teaches mathematics and technology, earns $320 a month, which has significantly improved his family’s livelihood. He had lost his previous job in February 2024 due to conflicts in Mudug region, leading to the closure of the school where he taught in Amara.
“The life of a family with stability is different from one without. Our household economy has improved greatly. We can now pay our rent and Koranic school fees, buy clothes, and have three meals a day. Alhamdulillah, our lives have changed completely!” he said.
Abdiweli settled his family in a three-room house for $80 a month, eliminating the harsh life in the displacement camp where they lived in poor shelter. He also pays $40 a month for electricity and water, which was previously unaffordable.
“When I came from Amara, I was jobless,” he recalled. “The family’s life depended on what was available. There was no fixed time for meals. Sometimes we would eat, and sometimes we would miss even one meal a day. But thank God, the family is prosperous now.”
Abdiweli has paid off $180 of the $700 debt incurred during his unemployment. He enrolled four of his children in Koranic school, paying $30 a month, and five others study for free at Omar Al-Faruq School, previously supported by the Iftin Foundation.
Having graduated with first-class honours in December 2020, Abdiweli took on the family responsibilities after his father died that year. He has signed a four-year contract with the Ministry of Education, which has alleviated his concerns about future unemployment.
Another teacher, Ahmed Mohamed Abukarwado, is pleased to be able to support his family of seven after being hired as a teacher at Dayah Primary, Middle, and High School in Godinlabe town. He previously earned between $80 and $100 a month teaching adults, which was insufficient for his family’s needs.
“In the past, there was a lot of pressure. As a teacher without a consistent salary, sometimes we would miss meals. The children would go to school without breakfast and have lunch late. Now, we have lunch, dinner, and breakfast regularly,” he told Radio Ergo.
Ahmed earns $320 a month, paying $25 for rent and $43 for electricity, water, and Koranic school for two of his children. He also supports his mother in Mogadishu with $50 each month.
“We have changed a lot,” Ahmed noted. “Before, we couldn’t afford clothes for Eid. Now, when my wife goes to the market, I help her with everything. This is our first Eid that we are well off, and I hope we will celebrate it well.”
The Director of Teachers and Curriculum Development at the Galmudug Ministry of Education, Sakariye Abdullahi Hassan, highlighted the rigorous hiring process and the federal government’s funding of the programme.
“The need to hire these teachers is to increase student enrollment, reduce education costs for parents, improve education quality by providing government teachers and public schools, and extend education to remote rural areas,” Sakariye said.
The ministry has deployed these teachers in about 50 schools in Galmudug, where students study for free. Women make up 40 per cent of the hired teachers. The Somali government’s four-year national plan aims to deploy 10,000 teachers, with Galmudug recruiting 800 so far.
