Under-resourced Schools in Eyl Draw Attention to the Education Ministry’s Oversight

Children in a primary school at Badey neighbourhood impassively listen to their teacher in an under-resourced classroom.

Garowe (PP News Desk) — Eyl, the coastal district of the Nugaal region in Puntland State, has seen pupils’ learning experiences affected by a lack of classroom equipment such as desks and chairs. Pupils in the coeducational classroom sit on the floor of a primary school in Badey neighbourhood, but the under-resourced educational environment does not prevent them from attending classes every day.

The Nugaal Regional Education Authority declined to comment on this story. A member of the Eyl district council, who requested anonymity, told Puntland Post that he had “a reason to believe that the budget for education had not been properly spent on the educational needs of children in Eyl.”

In the classroom, there are no learning aids such as a blackboard. Many parents in major Puntland towns prefer to send their children to privately owned primary schools, where the quality of teaching is presumed to be higher than in schools run by the Puntland State Education Ministry.

The Badey neighbourhood primary school highlights the extent to which lax supervision and indifference contribute to educational inequalities in Puntland State. “We look forward to the Puntland Auditor General investigating the situation in poorly resourced state schools in Eyl” said the district councillor.

© Puntland Post, 2024