Friday 20 June 2008

Brent Diversity meeting held on 16th of June 2008 at Wembley Police Office

West London Somaliland and Jamhuriya Media took part in Brent Diversity meeting hosted at Wembley Police Office by Brent Officers. Various issues were discussed by local communities and different ways of addressing these issues were discussed in depth. The meeting was very friendly and developed a stronger link between Brent Community and the MPS.

Below are some pictures of the meeting:



Above from Right to Left: Westlondon Somaliland Community, Chief Supt Toland, Mahmud Rahim, Father Robert Matau of Romanian Chaplain


Below from Left to Right:

Chief Supt Toland, Westlondon Somaliland Community, Sarah Samee -Communications Manager and Jamhuriya Media


Below from Left:

Francesca Clements, Chief Inspector Stuart Smith, Inspector Harry and Fr. Robert Matau, Romanian Chaplain




Below from Left to Right West London Somaliland Community, Sarah Samee(MPS Communications Manager ) and Jamhuriya Media :


The meeting concluded with ways of exploring how the local communities can find solutions for the challenges facing Brent by working with the Police. Such partnership will not only make the borough a safer place to live and work but will also create a rewarding relationship that will contribute to the positive image of Brent’s diverse communities.

Somaliland 18th of May Celebrations

17th Anniversary of Somaliland's Independence in Wembley

Welcome to Somaliland's 17th Anniversary in Wembley organised by BSUG in Collaboration West London Somaliland Community in Brent supported by Somaliland organisations such as North West London Somaliland Network, Institute for Female Education & Development(IFED), SSUK, Somaliland Overseas Foundation and SIRAG.






Friday 9 May 2008

Celebration of the 17th anniversary of the Independence of Somaliland in Brent
















Silver Spoon Newlight Complex

Popin Building

Southway. Wembley. Middlessex . HA9 0HB

Behind Wembley Stadium

In Somali:

Dad weynaha sharafta leh ee reer Somaliland ee dagan dalka UK waxaanu ogaysiinaynaa in

Xafladii sanad guurada 17 aad ee gooni isu taaga Jamhuuriyada Somaliland sanadkan lagu qaban doono goobta casriga ah ee lagu magacaabo:

Silver Spoon Newlight Complex

Popin Building

Southway. Wembley. Middlessex . HA9 0HB

Behind Wembley Stadium

Xafladaasoo bilaabmi doonta maalinta Sabtida ah ee 17ka May 08, ( 7 pm oo socondoonta illaa 5 am). Halkaasoo ay isugu iman doonaan oo ay idin maaweelin doonaan fanaaniinta ku dhaqan dalka Britain iyo kuwa kaloo dibadaha ka iman doona. Waxa intaa idiin dheer majaajilo, ciyaarihii hidada iyo dhaqanka oo aad jeclaysan doontaan oo ay idiin daadahayn doonaan Mohamed Adan Dacar iyo dhalinyaro reer London ah. Intaa ka hor waxa halkaa dadka kala hadli doona waxgarad iyo odayaal reer Somaliland ah, dad ajanabi ah oo loo yaqaano ( Friends Of Somaliland) oo isugu jira xubno ka tirsan ururada inaga caawiya Dhaqaalaha, Caafmaadka, Waxbarashada, siyaasiyiin, kuwa kale oo xilal kala duwan ka haya dalka UK iyo qaar kamida madaxda Ururada Bulshada UK.

Xafladan oo ku salaysan arrimo samofal ah oo laga hirgalinayo dalkeenii Somaliland, waxa aanu dad weynaha sharaftale ka codsanaynaa inay ku soo dhawaadaan xafladan qiimaha iyo qadarinta mudan.

Waad Mahad Santihiin.

British Somalilanders United Group

Tuesday 29 April 2008

Hon. Dawn Butler MP Brent Community Event for Somalis

West London Somaliland Community has attended this event addressing the needs of Somaliland community in Brent and also to network with the Somali diverse communities in Brent especially in the areas of education, community cohesion, diversity and so on.

Pictures of Hon. Dawn Butler MP, David and Brent Councillors.
















Pictures below are members of Somaliland Community with Brent Councillors and Borough Liaison Officer for Hon. Dawn Butler MP.















EMTAS Conference in Brent part II

During EMTAS conferences there were seniour school students from high schools participating in the event to share their experiences and challenges. This event was excellent with with many positive contributions. Later on we attended workshops where we all contributed positively and gained valuable experiences.

















































Thursday 17 April 2008

EMTAS Conference in Brent

EMTAS Conferene in Brent was attended by NWLBrentSomalilandNetwork and professional Somalilanders. The event was an eye opener for all of us and we've achieved a lot of encouragement from the positive experiences discussed in the event. The workshops were very educational and addressed the many challenges facing schools in Brent. The speakers spoke positively of their experiences in making education for diverse communities a positive experience.



























































Somaliland Student's Assembly (SOLSA) a nation-wide student's forum is going to look Somaliland educational system with a critical eye

Qoraaga: Abdirasaq Itaqile

INTRODUCTION

First education or the academic institution may be defined as a set of organized processes designed to transmit knowledge and skills to develop mental abilities. Really education is modern societies serves at least eight different purposes namely:

1-Transmission of culture

2-Teaching of values

3- The promotion of social mobility

4-Certification

5- Job training

6-Establishing social relationships

7-Politcal socialization

8-Baby-sitting

Education is a sound investment for many reasons including economic grounds. In the third world governments spend a large proportion of their budget on education which seemed to them the most profitable form of investment. In Somaliland by contrast government spends half of its budget (50%) on security and very small portion to the schooling especially primary schooling to produce basic literacy and numeracy through out the population.

Actually the educational system of Somaliland was copied from the previous colonial experience and this hindered the country's educational policy since adjustment compatible with our indigenous needs which requires lengthy, torturous attitudinal and institutional change.

SOLSA argues the key to better future for our country depends on governments' control of our own educational system.

It's clear as crystal that the ministry of education has no tangible policy for our education and the ministry's directorate of planning which is in charge of formulating educational policy is not working and this made our own educational system haphazard.

The statement of Arnold Anderson in the book (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND POST PRIMARY EDUCATION) should be applicable to the educational policy of our country which states as follows: "in formulating educational policy every society must compromise among three goals

* Efficiency in allocating training to individuals most likely to profit from it.

· Equity in opening opportunities for education impartially to various groups

· And free choice of educational careers to maximize motivation and flexibility"

"Compromise" suggests that efficiency, equity and freedom of choice are in that sequence, the important elements necessary for sound educational system.

If these three elements can't be attained in equal proportion, priority must be given to the criteria of efficiency

In our country the financial realities and sometimes poor judgment make it impossible for our educational system to balance effectively these three elements. For instance, Somaliland educational system in implementing equity and freedom of choice for student's sacrificed efficiency. This result was of course not intentional on the part of our educational policy makers but was unavoidable. Inadequate financial resources and the crippling factor of mismanagement compound the disparity between intention and achievement.

The efficiency element sometimes necessitates the hiring of educational personnel from distant countries;

Heavy financial requirements involved in such a case makes impossible for our country to fulfill the policy although it’s the country's ultimate benefit contributing to the fulfillment of our education goals.

The equity element is also achieved by having a free educational system open to all citizens at all levels.

Over the last 17 years since the inception of Somaliland's sovereignty and the re-establishment of educational institution for independent democratic country was accomplished thus replacing the dictator policy of censoring publications prohibiting the spread of information to suppress alternative ideas and facts and abolishment of informal education as a result of this shift towards democracy in Somaliland the private education sector took root in Somaliland and reached up to standard thus surpassing the public education sector.

The private schools has been booming and flourishing because they confer special advantage on to students from elite backgrounds, also private schools provide better education than public schools because of high tuition rates.

SOLSA envisions that in the near future the public education sector might vanish with out trace if not saved and the private education sector will become the only educational institution operating in the country and therefore would result that the only well-heeled families to buy better schools for their offspring than can poor families.

If we look the other side of the coin virtually private schools adopted the curriculum of foreign countries such as the UK, SUDAN AND EGYPT and this will have an adverse effect on to the future of our young generation since the ministry of education doesn't recognize the certificates issued by the most of private schools

Viewing the educational system of our country from another perspective SOLSA suggests that an important problem prevailing in the country should be solved, namely the cultural gap resulting from great emphasis on secular education on one hand and the neglect of religious education on the other hand.

Islamic culture is strong in our country but the ministry of education failed to avoid the persistent problem of the modernization of our educational system at the expense of religion.

In Somaliland religious courses in the primary and secondary schools are weak and inadequate, and at the university level no religious courses are offered except to the students of Islamic faculty.

SOLSA recommends that religious courses should be taught at primary and high schools with full seriousness and at the university level reasonable religious courses should be taught along with secular courses in all years because "Islam as a way of life" must be accessible to the educated and uneducated people alike.

The assumption is that religion finds this way to their souls and once this is achieved psychological stability is attained ,consequently the pursuit of all activities is rendered much easier and can be approached with full concentration even after reaching the highest levels of education in various fields .a true Muslim invariably remain faithful to his religion.

The current educational system of Somaliland is based on a primary level with eight grades follows by a secondary level with four grades and a university level.

PRIMARY SCHOOLING

Primary schooling had more impact than any other period of schooling, reading, writing and arithmetic opens doors for people that stayed open through out their lives .also primary schooling is virtually necessary condition for the development of critical thinking for life in democratic society.

in the pre-colonial era there were no primary schools in our country and the few existed ones were kuranic teaching schools which often run by religious leaders as a way of promoting Islamic faith and social values .The arrival of British colonialism in Somaliland and the subsequent expansion of British rule over the hinterlands of our country brought about the establishment of the first primary schools.

Previously primary schools were confined to urban centers and their curriculum was based on British curriculum. English and Arabic languages were the language of instruction as the Somali language wasn't written. The military coup in 1969 and siyad bare's approach of scientific socialism changed the educational system of the country. With the writing of Somali language in Latina script in 1972 replaced the English language and became the language of instruction.

During siyad bare's rule, primary schooling became wide spread and the number of illiterate declined

The downfall of siyad bare's regime and the subsequent inception of Somaliland in 1991 primary schooling were revived mainly through the private initiative of the trained teachers because the three year long civil war devastated all educational infrastructures.

In 1996/1997 the government took over the public schools and started paying salaries to the teachers.

Actually there are three levels of education in the primary schooling .first is the pre-schooling level, which is small sector of educational activity mainly concerned teaching kuran the children but now this level doesn’t exist.

Previously students' enrolment to the primary schooling hinged on how many surats of kuran do the student know and unless student passes kuranic exam he/she wouldn’t get in to the primary.

Today primary schooling enrolment process depends on merely if the student has the tuition fee and the above mentioned factor was omitted.

Secondly there is elementary level which caters for the educational needs of children from the age of six to twelve and thirdly there is intermediate level which caters for children from twelve to fifteen.

In fact The number of pupils has been increasing year by year and therefore the number of students out proportioned the existing classes and this forced the ministry of education to make to shifts (morning and after noon)but this done nothing to reduce the burden .

Really if you visit primary schools you can see 90 students learning one class and this has caused the teacher to lose the control of the class hence the teacher cannot classify the best and worst performing students, what is more the over crowded classes pose health problem because contagious disease can spread easily through the students .

Emphatically physical education which is the sport and physical activity taught as a school subject has been left out and it had an adverse effect on to the students because many of them developed bad habits such as chewing khat smoking cigarette and became dropouts.

The ministry of education defied the conventional wisdom of the English adage" the sound mind is the sound body "by failing to fulfill the PE subject in the primary schools.

To top it all the ministry of education in collaboration with the ministry of sports failed to implement the annual sports tournament of primary schools which has the work of social interaction.

SECONDARY SCHOOLING

With the spread of primary education comes an increasing demand for secondary schooling as well ,and in most parts of the world this schooling is now available to the majority of young people .

With secondary education come skills related to citizenship, people become sufficiently informed to become active in their local communities and to discuss certain political issues.

Students not only learn specific facts in high schools they learn to learn, they acquire a framework of background information in to which they can fit into a new facts.

In 1996 the ministry education opened the doors of first secondary schools which haven't been operational since the civil war in 1988 actually in the world there are comprehensive high schools for both vocational students and those who are preparing for university.

The purpose of this trend is to avoid shutting off options for students and those who could benefit from academic instruction, but in Somaliland this kind of comprehensive high schools doesn't exists because the vocational training schools are not operational.

Emphatically the ministry of education failed to monitor the enrolment process of high schools and therefore a great number of students who haven’t completed or failed the intermediate exams got in through the back door every year by bribing the principles.

Every year hundreds of students fail the final exam in secondary schools while another hundreds of students pass with grade "D" which is not recognized grade and this a clear sign to the ministry's inability to stem the tide by improving the quality of education in secondary schools. The secondary schools in Somaliland have all the infrastructures of education such as text books and science labs but the latter has no use for students since they have learnt theoretically as a result of the teacher's lack of practical help.

Somaliland has the biggest discrepancies between the best and worst performing students, they learn badly because they are taught badly

One approach would have bridged the gap of discrepancy if the ministry of education had implemented which is streaming or tracking i.e. putting of students in groups according to their ability.

In a net shell the ministry of education can't improve the quality of secondary schools with out also doing something about improving the academic standard of the teachers; they are two sides of the same coin.

HIGHER EDUCATION

University level education usually is more specialized than secondary schools though some areas of study are more specialized than others higher education mainly takes place in universities and other institutes where research is carried out and new ideas are generated. And the university is one of the most important places in industrial society not for its teaching function but also for it's creation of new knowledge.

The idea of establishing the first higher institution ( AMOUD UNIVERSITY) was conceived by the intellectuals and elders of Somaliland particularly of the AWDAL region it was formally proposed in a workshop in BORAMA on august 6 1996. The workshop agreed to the proposal and adopted a resolution for the establishment of AMOUND UNIVERSITY.

Amoud University officially started functioning in September 1997 with the faculties of education and business administration.

Three years later university of Hargeisa was inaugurated with the faculties of education and business administration.

The inauguration of Hargeisa University coincided with the graduation of the first patch of secondary schools in Somaliland.

The above-mentioned universities in Somaliland have one thing in common; they offer the same faculties and the profession programs such as engineering, medicine and applied science are absent, although medicine is in its embryonic stage both in Hargeisa and Amoud universities. It would be a right step towards the right direction if they diversify (to complement not to compete).

The management of both Hargeisa and Amoud universities are working hard to upgrade the quality of our universities though still they can't claim to be universities with internationally acknowledged and respected standards of academic and technical excellence in the fields they offer.

In addition to that our universities have no full cooperation with foreign universities and other academic institutions through scientific exchange and scholarships as a result of the country's lack of diplomatic recognition.

The government's expenditure on higher education is not sufficient according to the expenses of our universities, so that every student pays a monthly fee of $40.

The tuition fees are very exorbitant according to the income of our people and many impoverished students gave up hope to pursue university level education as a result of tuition fees.

As a matter of fact there are no rigid entrance requirements to Somaliland universities and this will have an impact on the future graduates.

For instance most students enrolled for medicine in both Hargeisa and Amoud universities haven’t got high grades in the secondary schools exam and you can see grade "C" and "D" students learning medicine in our universities, what a mess.

In our universities in order to maintain high standard students must posses specified academic qualification for admission, this policy is formed for it ensures the universities remain a serious institution of higher learning rather than allowing to be used as a boarding house for unqualified and uninterested students.

Finally there is another problem prevailing in our universities which is the number of students is increasing so rapidly and therefore out proportioning the existing classes and the lack of extension plans in our government.

THE CURRICULUM AND TEACHING MEHTODOLOGY

Curriculum is defined as a presentation of knowledge and organized learning experience.

The organized experience are presented in components that include goals and objectives content, method of delivery and the technology required to deliver the educational content.

The school curriculum is viewed as a sub system of society because the appropriate content to be taught is determined by needs of a society upon which the curriculum development policy is based.

In our curriculum there are too many subjects and this is requires more time to cover and more time the learners to process and reflect on what has been learnt and relate it to what they already know, but the increasing in shifts reduce the number of hours in instruction by half and this causes the goal and objective contents of the curriculum to be omitted leaving unbridgeable gap. In Somaliland subjects like Math's, science, history, geography, and physical education are all taught together. The plan for this kind of education the curriculum is called an integrated skills curriculum because the teachers have integrated the skills or put all the skills in one lesson around topics.

An integrated skills curriculum prepares children for real life but for instance in North America schools; students study each skill separately so that students have separate classes in all subjects.

This is called back-to-basic curriculum which helps students prepare for university work.

If we glance the teaching methodology, issues related to methodology have to do with the following questions.

a) Which is the most appropriate way if teaching?

b) Which is the most appropriate way of acquiring knowledge?

To answer these two questions there are two ways of teaching:

Teacher-centered approach.

Learner-centered approach.

Available resources and the force of tradition determine which method to be adopted and with what result.

Traditional teacher-centered teaching method tends to be more widely practiced in our country despite teacher in-service programs in learner-centered methodology.

Instructional and learning resources such as textbooks and other visual and audio visual teaching equipments associated with learner-centered teaching/learning are often in short supply coupling with the demanding class organization and control that such methods require.

In the developed world schools use modern technology such as television sets computers and VCRs so that lessons are more interesting because of educational videos.

For example science education in JAPAN is technology based children learn the application (use) of science before they learn the principles.

At last SOLSA suggests that ministry of education should come up a new approach to education alternative to traditional schools and traditional ways of learning.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion SOLSA recommends that the ministry of education should make attitudinal and institutional change in the country's educational system by seeking an advice from the most advanced educational systems of the world in order to gear the system's needs to the country's requirements.

Abdirisaaq Ismail Qalinle (itaqile)

SOLSA Board member

Faculty of Engineering, International University of Africa

Khartoum, Sudan
itaqile07@hotmail.com
Phone: +249-121089746

http://somalilandedu.com/warka/somaliland_system.php

Young Somalilander student of University of Toledo accepted at Yale (the Highest Medical School in USA)


Hamdi AliAll it took for Hamdi Ali, a biology pre-med student, to get accepted into the Yale School of Medicine is attend class and do her homework.

“I take notes in class,” she said, “but I never go back to them.”

She was in the process of applying to the University of Toledo Medical Center when she discovered that Yale had accepted her application.

After that, she never finished the UTMC application process.

“I have no study skills whatsoever,” Hamdi said. “I can help somebody else study, but I can’t focus [on my own].”

Hamdi will be 19 when she graduates college in May 2009, taking her only three years to complete her college degree, not including the post-secondary classes she took at The Ohio State University.

Hamdi moved to Toledo two and a half years ago and attended Rogers High School for her senior year before coming to UT.

Hamdi said she attended UT as an undergraduate despite being accepted to OSU, the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Kent State University.



“I was young and didn’t want to leave the family,” she said, since she was 16 at the time.

Hamdi said she’s wanted to be a doctor since the sixth grade, and she loves children.

“I helped raise my two youngest siblings,” she said.

“I want to be a pediatrician in the Doctors Without Borders program and try to reach disadvantaged children in foreign countries,” she said, adding she wants to help her home country of Somaliland as well as other places, including South America.

While Hamdi pushes herself to get straight As, her parents worry that she pushes herself too hard.

“They usually tell me to take it easy,” Hamdi said of her parents. “They always tell me to not stress myself to the point of not able to sleep at night.”

Hamdi moved to America with her family in 1998 from Somaliland, a small country north of Somalia run in practice as an independent country. It is not recognized by any country or international institution. Somaliland, which is slightly smaller than Arkansas, gained de facto independence from Somalia in 1991.

Hamdi’s mother, Fardawsa, explained why the family left Somaliland as her daughter translated it.

The economy in the country was on a downward slope due to the aftermath of war, Fardawsa said.

Though Fardawsa said the high school education everyone in Somaliland receives is just as good as a college education in the United States, the decision to move had a lot to do with status.

“It’s a matter of recognition,” Fardawsa Ali Ubaxle said.

Hamdi is one of 12 children, 10 of them born in Somaliland, and seven of which are still living at home.

The family reached the decision to move to America by “trusting God and making sure we gave [the children] resources so they have a good education,” Farduws said.

“With an American degree, you can have more opportunities,” Hamdi said. Especially if it comes from Yale.

Ahmad

http://www.redsea-online.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=279

Brent Holocaust Memorial Day 27th Jan 2008















NWLSomaliland Network in Brent attending Brent Holocause Memorial Day.























Somaliland Societies in Europe"Networking meeting III "

Networking meeting III

5th April 14:00-18:00

Oxford House

Derbyshire Street

Bethnal Green

London E2 6HG

SSE (Somaliland Societies in Europe) jointly with other Somaliland organizations in UK are organizing a meeting again on working together and how to create an effective networking among Somaliland organisations in UK.

This meeting is a follow up meeting to the two previously held ones in Oxford House and Hayes (West London). In both these meetings the importance of creating communication network and better ways of working together were highlighted and discussed.

In the upcoming meeting we will discuss decisions made in prior meetings and how to further pursue them. The next meeting will give us the opportunity to properly discuss what we need to do so that our working relationship is better developed. This meeting will be an open meeting in which all groups will get the opportunity to share their views and ideas.

During our last meeting we have discussed the importance of creating better communication between our organisations and it was decided to create a group email. This coming meeting we will launch this email group. Another aim of the 5th April meeting is to give members the opportunity to review the progress of the network and identify ways in which the network can develop further. It will give members the chance to discuss what we have achieved to date, strength, weaknesses and what needs to happen in the future for the network to develop its’ activities.

Our brother Jama Muse Jama, who is coming from Italy, is with us during the 5th April meeting. He is the author of the book *Freedom is not free* Gobanimo Bilaash Maaha. It is good opportunity and will be talking and sharing about the importance of freedom speech.

The upcoming meeting is nearly on the same time as the commemoration of 6th April anniversary, for that reason we will dedicate short time on talking this matter.

Agenda:

14:00 Introduction and word welcome

14:10 Aims and objectives for the day

14:20 Presentation of what we have achieved so far

14:35 Short presentation (email group and common website)

14:50 Next steps for the network

15:30 Break & Networking

15:50 Launch of the book (Gobbanimo Bilaash Maaha)

16:10 Brief words in regards to April the 6th

16:30 Evaluation of the network process

16:50 Close



Jamhuuriya Online