Mogadishu (PP Editorial) — Less than a week after the Hargeisa Umbrella of Koranic Schools complained about what it sees as injustice following an Appeals Court decision to sentence a Koranic school teacher in Burao (Togdheer) to 14 years’ imprisonment, another controversy has emerged in Mogadishu.
Video clips showing a Koranic school teacher inappropriately hugging underage girls in a mixed-gender dugsi classroom in Mogadishu have been widely circulated on social media. Authorities in Mogadishu have since arrested the teacher.
A spokesman for the Koranic school condemned the teacher’s actions but said the school would conduct its own investigation, noting that “there is a staff member tasked with managing the school’s CCTV system.” He added that the inquiry would also focus on how the incriminating footage was leaked to the public.
It is noteworthy that the Koranic school in question had installed CCTV cameras in its classrooms. Perhaps the owners feared the possibility of false allegations against teachers, or were concerned about what an unvetted Koranic teacher might do to pupils.
Koranic schools in present-day Somalia are often operated by rival sects, largely for economic reasons. Before 1991, teachers at Koranic schools received training at reputable religious institutions, including those run by the late Macallin Nuur, who is also remembered for donating a large tract of land on the outskirts of Mogadishu for use as a cemetery.
The Federal Government of Somalia Police have reportedly taken control of the school’s CCTV system to investigate the possibility of widespread inappropriate conduct towards pupils by Koranic teachers at the school in South Mogadishu.
Koranic schools in Somalia form part of an informal education sector that operates outside the remit of the Ministry of Education. The images circulating on social media depicting what can only be described as child abuse in an educational setting may be just the tip of the iceberg. There is an urgent need to regulate Koranic schools in Somalia. No Koranic school should be allowed to operate without a licence from the Ministry of Education. Schools must be required to submit their employment procedures, including how they vet (if they vet at all) applicants wishing to become Koranic teachers.
© Puntland Post, 2025