A Study on Primary Education Provision For the Children of Pastoral Nomads in Ethiopia Access and Alternative: The Case of Somali Region

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2005-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was 10 ex amine Ihe current slat us of educational provision for school age pastoral Somali children and Ih eir participalion in primary education in nomadic areas of Somali region, identifying major problems, i.e. school related and out of school factors (socio -economic, socio-cultural and development co nstr aint.l) and indicate possible alternativ e intervention strategies that need to be des igned by policy makers and educational planners al national and reg ional level to alleviate the educational deprivation of pastoral nomad Somali children. In effecting for this purpose des criptive survey method was employed to gather th e necessary data for the study. Apart Fom co nsultation of documents and relevant sources, data were gatheredfrom 455 students, 95 teachers and principals, 12 education experts and 23 elders. In selecting these respondents, diversifi ed sampling te chniques were employed. Th e data ob ta ined through questionnaire and structured intervie ws were analyzed using percentage and weighted mean. The data Fom documentary analysis indicated thai the status of educational provision and pastoral Somali children participation on Ihe primwy schools of the region are poor and low respectively. The result of the study showed that school intrinsic factors such as distance from home to school, lack of facilities, services and qualifi ed teachers, inflexible school calendar, weak school-community relationship, irr elevance of curriculum and inappropriate medium of instruction were found to be the major barriers for increasing access to primary education. Besides, socia-cultural constraints such as early marriage belittling of the value of education (especially that of girls), gender role socialization and stereotyping, fear of loosing of time for the training of paternalism and weak family and community involvement have been identified as major problems for increasing access to primmy education. On the other hand, fear of sexual harassment, abduction and teen age pregnancy found to . have minimal effect on educational participation of postural children. Mo re over, socia- economic constraints such as mobility, high demand of ch ild labor, poverty, parents illil eracy and shortage of upper primary sc hools have beenfound to be major prob lems. In addition to these, absence of del' elopment prog/'(//I1S des ignedfor the pastoral nomads like range land d e velopment programs, ext ens ion and package programs were also identified as th e major constraint s. Moreover , lack of marketing s el'l'ic n and shorta ge of basic se rvicesas educalian and health were /iJUnd to be Ihe main obslacles. Furthermore, lack of settlement programs, inler and inlra tribal con(licls, spare seltlemenl of Ihe people and shorlage of road were also idenlified as Ihe major problems to Ihe educalional involvemenl of pastoral Somali children As a resull, il is concluded Ihal, in most cases school inlrinsic, socio-economic, socio cultural and developmenl conslraints are the hindering factors to bring aboul improved access 10 primary edt/cal ion inlhe pastoral areas of Somali region Based on Ihe resulls oflhe findings, formulation of policy and strategy for pastoral Somali educalion, flexible educational calendar, sensilizalion of Ihe society on Ihe value of education, boarding school, mobile tem schools) reforming of the curriculum and medium of instruction, extending and suslaining school feeding programs, non formal educalion and participatory cOIif/iCI management approaches were recommended so that an increase in Ihe demand for primary educalion will be improved and accessibilily is realized

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