Somalia’s Education Minister Denies GPE Grants to Puntland Children

[Deeq A.]

Vengeful: The Federal Government of Somalia Minister for Education Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, is a member of the Global Partnership for Education Board.

Mogadishu (PP Editorial) — The decision to phase out the transitional federal government of Somalia in 2012 was based on the principle that equitable sharing of development aid will guide the new federal dispensation. This principle was expected to ensure that the federal government would not politicise development aid in a country still recovering from state collapse and deep inter-clan mistrust. The responsibility to ensure that political disagreements do not lead to denial of development aid to a Somali constituency lies with the Federal Government of Somalia.

The Federal Government of Somalia Minister for  Education Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, who is a member of the Global Partnership for Education Board, has authorised withholding of the GPE grants for Puntland State of Somalia due to political disagreements between Puntland State Government and the he Federal Government of Somalia, but he allowed for Somaliland Administration to access the GPE grants knowing full well that in the application for GPE grants Somaliland Administration included Badhan, a district under the jurisdiction of Puntland State of Somalia. This oversight accentuates the false claim that Somaliland Administration, a secessionist administration, rules Badhan and Sool.

As a member of Global Partnership for Education, Somalia has also a board member who influences decisions on how grants will be distributed in the beneficiary country. Since “the Global Partnership is a country led” Farah has failed to consider the impact the Laascanood war has had on Sool, Sanaag and Cayn territories (SSC) where Somaliland forces were shelling for six months. The GPE Needs and Performance Framework has been selectively applied without paying attention to the conflict and its impact on school-age children in Sool region.

The Federal Government of Somalia should not be allowed to use its status to represent Somalis as an opportunity to exclude certain regions from benefiting from GPE initiatives. Development aid should never become a polarising and marginalisation-facilitating element in the Federal Republic of Somalia.

© Puntland Post, 2024

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