Somalia

Although the school system was still undergoing reforms in 1990, it had four basic levels: preprimary, primary, secondary/vocational, and higher. The Ministry of Education controlled primary and secondary education. Postsecondary education was under the administration of the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture. Somali's reliance on a pastoral nomadic lifestyle, however, adversely affected its educational system. Children in the rural areas rarely had the opportunities to go to school; while those who lived in the cities were more likely to attend, few did beyond the elementary grades. Before the country's civil war, about 50 percent of Somali children were enrolled in the elementary schools, a mere 7 percent were enrolled in high school, and less than 1 percent were in institutions of higher learning. The literacy level was 25 percent.