Somalia

Until the mid-1970s, primary education consisted of four years of elementary school, followed by fours years of intermediate schooling. A proficiency exam was given at the end of the elementary level to move on to the intermediate level. However, in 1972, elementary and intermediate levels were combined to form one continuous program; promotion from elementary to intermediate was made automatic. When the government established free, universal, primary education in 1975, primary education was reduced from eight to six years. However, during the 1978-1979 school year, the eight-year primary school system was reintroduced because the six-year program had proven unsatisfactory. Primary schooling theoretically began at age six, even though many children began later. Girls were less likely to attend school and dropped out after completing four years, which was the elementary level. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the government provided a three-year education program for nomadic children. For six months of each year, when the seasons permitted, large numbers of nomads aggregated so that their children could attend school; the rest of the year the children accompanied their families. Nomadic families who wanted their children to attend school throughout the year boarded them in a permanent settlements or sent them to boarding schools in the south. The primary curriculum included reading, writing, and arithmetic. Arabic was taught as a secondary language, and social studies courses were taught using textbooks that focused on Somali issues.