UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
By Cait Crawshaw
Friday, March 21, 2014
Before the civil war, Somali National University (SNU) was a thriving institution of higher learning, with 15,000 students, 700 staff members and 13 departments. Its alumni included the current president of the country, notable scientists, peace activists, humanitarians and dignitaries.
“It was a very fine university,” says Somali ex-pat and U of A education professor Dr. Ali Abdi. “Everything was going well.” But when the war erupted in the early 1990s, killing thousands and destroying much of the country’s infrastructure, SNU was badly damaged. In 1991, its operations were suspended indefinitely.
The future of the institution remained bleak for more than two decades as conflict continued to grip the East African nation, but now peace is finally getting a foothold. In November 2013, the government announced that SNU would be revived. The initiative is expected to cost $3.6 million USD.
History of Somali National University (SNU)
The AFIS (Amdministrazione feduciario Italiana della Somalia) constructed the groundwork for the country’s higher education by establishing higher institutes to provide Somali high school graduates with advanced semi-professional training.
In 1950 the administration established the School of Politics and Administration, but effective higher education in Somalia really took off in 1954 when the AFIS administration established the Institute of Law, Economics, and Social Studies. This institute was satellite of the Universities of Rome and Padova, which provided all the instruction material, faculty and administration.
In 1964, the Institute of Law and Economics began offering programs that called for two years of university study in Somalia, followed by other two years of study in Italy to obtain a university degree.
In December 1969, the Institutes of Law and Economics were transformed into the Faculties of Law and Economy and Somali National University (SNU) was officially established.
In 1971, the Faculties of Agriculture and the Chemistry were created and then followed by the Faculty of Education in 1972. In 1973, the faculties of Medicine, Geology, Veterinary and Engineering were founded, and in 1979 Faculty of Language and Journalism were also added. Lastly, the Faculty of Technical Teacher Training and the Faculty of Political Science were added to SNU.
Before the collapse of the Somali state in 1991, SNU had an enrollment 15,672 students, with about 700 academic and non-academic staff, and consisted of 13 faculties. SNU was beginning to offer post-graduate courses and degrees, but unfortunately the civil war destroyed much of the institution. Rebuilding efforts continue to this day.
The University of Alberta Faculty of Education has stepped up to help with the efforts. In 2013, Dr. Mohamed Jimale – a former community leader in Edmonton Somali community and now SNU’s rector (president) – connected with Abdi about a potential collaboration between the two institutions.
“He wanted to know if we could help re-establish the Faculty of Education at SNU,” says Abdi, who is also co-director of the Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research. “It’s one of the first faculties they want to create because it’s critical to building teaching capacity in Somalia.” At the moment, most Somali citizens have no education at all and any teachers that still remain in the country haven’t set foot in a classroom for decades.
Since connecting with Abdi, Jimale has visited the U of A on two occasions to meet with faculty members, including Abdi and Dr. George Richardson, associate dean of international initiatives. “He identified some of the needs SNU has in the Faculty of Education,” says Richardson. “One of those direct needs is resources, particularly books for the rebuilding of the library.” To that end, Richardson has been working with faculty members to gather up-to-date academic books to send to Somalia. In early March, the faculty mailed 400 books to SNU via the international courier DHL, the only mail provider serving the country at the moment.
SNU is also in dire need of training for future university instructors and the U of A is stepping up to help meet this need, as well. “What we’re trying to do is offer a series of professional development seminars,” says Richardson. Because SNU is being rebuilt, and there is still some lingering conflict, these sessions will probably happen in Nairobi, across the border in Kenya. U of A faculty members will donate their skills and time on the ground, since online training would require technological infrastructure that’s sorely lacking in this geographical zone.
Richardson isn’t sure yet when these training sessions will be held. However, the faculty is collaborating with UNESCO (the United Nation’s Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) and SNU’s new dean of education (a U of A alumna named Fouzia Warsame) to make this happen.
It’s a big project, but the U of A Faculty of Education isn’t new to this kind of partnership. For about seven years, the faculty helped several Iraqi institutions rebuild after the war. Faculty members have also worked on projects in South Africa, Tanzania and several other East African countries. “The faculty has a long history of international development work and a lot of people who are passionate about working in the developing world and sharing their expertise,” Richardson says. “In the broadest sense, we see it as tied to our mandate and the idea of global citizenship.”
But while the initiative is philanthropic, U of A faculty and students also benefit, says Richardson: “It broadens our knowledge of the world.”
To get involved with the project, please contact Dr. George Richardson ([email protected])