A Breeding ground for uncertainty: Gedo is desperate for High School
Article-(GMN) I often look back to the days of middle-high school in Garbaharey. In particular, I remember the physical education class usually scheduled on Thursdays where we used to go to nearby school field to play soccer. I remember peeking out of the classroom window seeing nearby green mountains.
Remarkably, these mountains put the entire city in circle; Garbaharey is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever lived. Of-course, I could never forget the excitement I felt when I persuaded my late father (R.I.P Faarax Xirsi Barre) for ride on his way visiting to veterinary clinic outposts throughout cities and villages in the region. At each place, the beauty, attraction and uniqueness of this land is one now that can hardly be to those who have not seen the place. .
Living abroad for nearly two decades, my enthusiasm, love and the loyalty to my home state Gobalka, Gedo has not waned. . Like many diaspora community, I have always supported to see a some kind developments in our orginal home country; the building of hospitals, schools, airports and good governance is something I have always advocated for.
FAST FORWARD…
Twenty years of civil war in Somalia have brought about massive devastation in all levels of Somali sociaty especially in education, health and security . Clearly, Gedo state suffered from this twenty year old civil war. This can be seen in a recent report by IRIN News: SOMALIA: No high school, no hope in Gedo http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90425.
As I continued to read IRIN’s report I felt sad for the pain of this state and its people is so great. Hundreds of NGO’s claim to operate thought-out the state, and yet according to the IRIN report it is clearly the situation on the ground shows a little improvement. The report summarizes the lack of education, misery that all surround the children of the Gedo. children’s educational needs.
Reoccurring droughts along with a political confusion in the state and all make education, healthcare less accessible. There is an alarming rate of poverty in the state that forces many children to abandon their education and join armed militias. For those lucky enough to finish a primary education in an eviroment where there are no decent desks or classrooms, the hope of attending High school is grim. There have not been High school graduation ceremony in Gedo for 20 years.
MISSED Opportunities
It is hard to come up with the right solution if you are addressing the wrong problem. In other words, establishing a new university and giant airport in Gedo while there are no High School system is deeply problematic.
BUILDING University in Gedo.
We are all understand the importace of education for Gedo community—for its educated community that will ensure the survival of the state and its people. To be competitive, this community needs some educational establishments serving a different groups in our society.
Currently, there is only one high school in Gedo region (Thanks to our community from Degmada Ceelcade). With no other high school graduates in nearly 20 years, establishing a higher learning institution is a like building a house without its foundation. In truth, a simple visibility study would put the foundation in place before the ceiling.
As in just about every area of life, the importance of planning cannot be overemphasized in all missions. In nutshell, a business plan is a written description of the business (the university), that describes the plan is in place and how to implement that plan.
I am sure, some planning took a place before the establishment of the university. I am not discounting the credential and the talent of the founders who are now building universities where there are no proper High school system, but I would like to urge the Gedo community and its leadership to pay attention and study the educational needs of the region. If the community does this, it allow them to identify not only the basic human needs of the community, but also its education.
THE AIRPORT…
Does Gedo really need large airport? It is not better to focus in building strong High school systems before we build airports at this time? Of course having decent airport is important for it can driver and improve the economic conditions of the state. But we should pay attention to the real needs of the state; building strong Primary and High school sytem.
REALITY CHECK.
Surely, some Gedo community members embrace the idea of new airport for increased aviation capacity and the establishment of new universities. Nevertheless, the organizers of both projects fail to understand the basic human needs of this community. In other words, a major new projects such as airports, universities or bridges take a decade or longer from the initial planning to final completion. During this time, many things may change like the political and economic climate of the region. Without doubt, a new threats or opportunities will arise, from inside or outside parties putting the region’s inhabitants into a major disadvantage position.
To this end, Gedo is desperate and needs of rescue operations in all areas; first is security and education. We cannot afford to ignore these facts if we want to eliminate educate our children and secure their future. , we need to come up with solutions. A better solution acknowledges the lack of accessible education, healthcare and other sectors in all parts of the region. This should improve the quality of life creating better future for our growing communities. Indeed, we should build on the belief that the cure for our region’s political problem originates the availability of uneducated youth used for Militias. All of us should join our voices to reverse the decline of the education system in Gedo.
By Xirsi Faarax Xirsi
Well done!!!!!!!!!!
Keep up your community’s spirit.
again well done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
With best wishes
Abdimahad
This is the reality—Waxii dhiiglehow Kaca
WAA ARIN U BAAHAN DADKA U DHASHAEY EE BEESHA DEGTA DHULKAAS AMA GOBOLKAAS AY U TAAL SIDII AY DADKOODA U HORUMARIN LAHAAYEEN. GOBOLKAAS OO CAAN KU AH INUU ASKARTA LAGA SOO QORI JIRAY ISLA MARKAASNA AYSAN HODAN AMA EHEL U AHAYN TACLIIN HOOSE/DHEXE IYO SAREBA. WAXAAN AAD IYO AAD OGU FARAXSANAHAY INAY JIRAAN DAD SIDAAS UU QORAAGAN EE QURUXDA BADAN FARTA OGU FIIQAY IN WALAALIHIIS SOOMAALIYED EE KU NOOL MANTAQADAAS LOOGA HORUMARIN LAHAA AAFOOYINKAAS KU HABSATAY DADKII SOOMALIYA OO DHAN.
GARABKAADA IGA DAY.
SAMATAR
IRIN news article is a complete joke. Somalia: No high schools, No hope in Gedo, is the title from an ussigned IRIN news article
True…the IRIN news article is a complete joke. First, it doesn’t have a signature and it has disclaimer designed for its UN parent company. Take a look at the picture attached on the story. It has been used before on another ugly article by IRIN.
IRIN collects such shitty articles as news database for donars to read and agencies to present. To proof that the IRIN article is completely and entirely false, the cities of Garbaharay, Bardera and El Ade all have high schools. Garbaharey and El Ade each has one high school where Bardera has two high schools; one by HIRDA and another one by Markabley Foundation. HIRDA’s high school is over 5 years where as Markablay high school is only upto second year of secondary classes.
There are also three tertiary schools in Bardera. One is on the west side of the river and it’s Islamic oriented college. On the old sector of town, are the University of Gedo and Bardera Polytechnic.
These filthy IRIN articles are designed to keep the well paying jobs held by Western crooks and thugs in Nairobi. They have been having these jobs for two decades now. One UN rented building in Nairobi is spent one more than five million US Dollars annually. There are close to 30 such buildings to carry out aid services supposedly meant for Somalia.
There are tens of thousands of European thugs and ex-spy agents who collect such an outragous salaries drawn from cash aid donated by Arabs and non-colonizing Europeans such as Norway and Finland. Dozen UN agencies in Nairobi each spend about $100,000,000 (one hundred million US Dollars) each year on the name of Somalia. For example, WHO has been claiming to want to spend the money it manages on building a comprehensive hospital on each of the so called zones in Somalia; South and Central Zone, Northeast Zone and Northwest Zone. For how much time and money do you need to accomplish that? I guess forever and never ending money.
WFP is the biggest culprit of the illness in Somalia. Keep your crap to your self and Somalia will survive.
Just over 5% of the money intended by honest donars reach Somalia. On the education side, money withheld from rent on one of the UN buildings in Nairobi is enough to cover 30% of all the educational expenses for Somalia for one year.
IRIN needs to get the hell out of Somalia affairs. And stop spreading lies and half cooked stories now.
Abdirahman, Baardheere