Somaliland: Best and brightest female students honoured

13 October 2011 - Interpeace local partner in Somaliland, The Academy for Peace and Development (APD), organized an event on 2 October 2011 in Hargeisa, to honour the highest-ranking female graduates of both secondary and intermediate schools.

This initiative is part of the overall push for female education and empowering women to take an active role in driving the future of Somaliland.

The event followed the official announcement by Somaliland’s Minister of Education, Mrs. Zamzam Abdi Adan, of the national examination results for secondary and intermediate schools for the 2010-2011 school year.

Somaliland's First Lady awards the number one female secondary student at the APD event. Photo Credit: APD

The objective of this event was to recognize the noteworthy success of Somaliland’s female graduates, who have made an astounding impression this year.

Notable participants of the event included Somaliland’s First Lady, H. E. Amina-Waris Sh. Mohamed Jirde, the only two female MPs, Mrs. Fatima Jama from the House of Elders and Mrs. Baar Saeed from the House of Representatives, government officials, the top five highest-ranking female graduates of both intermediate and secondary schools, parents, and schools principals and teachers from the districts of Sheikh, Gabiley and Hargeisa.

The top five secondary graduates were all from Ilays School. Abdirahman Ahmed Abdi, Ilays’ principal, made an emotional speech about the progress and record of his school and students:

“Congratulations to all the students, particularly the ten female students from the different schools who ranked the highest. It is remarkable and wonderful that the top secondary graduates nationwide are female students and that they are all from Ilays Secondary School. It’s a great honour for my school, my students, and their parents, and we all appreciate their achievement.”

In the course of her speech, First Lady Amina-Waris had some very moving words for these 10 outstanding students,

“I am congratulating these top ten graduates nationwide and their parents and teachers who have supported and encouraged female education and made them what they are today… I am also congratulating the public intermediate schools which have ranked the highest which shows that the quality of the public schools is now improving…. I am expressing my gratitude to the Academy for Peace and Development for inviting us in this event to encourage and promote female education and playing this important role in empowering the nation…”

First Lady presenting at APD's top ten honoring female students event. Photo Credit: APD

Parents, teachers, and school principals were very supportive and expressed their admiration for these female graduates.

Appreciation certificates and gifts were awarded to the highest ranking female graduates by the First Lady, H. E. Amina-Waris Sh. Mohamed Jirde. Most importantly, APD granted scholarships to the students.

The First Lady, Amina-Waris was the perfect candidate to award and recognize the achievement of the ten female graduates, given her history and background as one of Somaliland’s first female students.

She is a champion of youth education, especially young girls facing the challenges of growing up in an environment and culture that show preference to males for educational endeavour.

The top ten secondary and intermediate female graduates of Somaliland honoured at APD event. Photo Credit: APD

Fortunately, this trend to favour males is declining and times are changing with communities and various institutions supporting and promoting female education and these ten female graduates are testament for this challenging trend.

This initiative is part of the overall push for female education and empowering women to take an active role in driving the future of Somaliland.

Article courtesy of Interpeace partner in Somaliland: The Academy for Peace and Development