Planning Department

Background

Outbreak of civil war in Somalia led to the imminent collapse of education system in Somalia, but with stabilizing of the State, the higher education sector is experiencing exponential growth. There are now close to 50 higher education institutions (HEIs) of different sizes and different capacities functioning across the country and enrolling over 50,000 students. With limited resource available to the government, the HEIs are forced to almost exclusively rely on funding from students’ fees, which has been considered to be very high.

The capacity of the government entities to regulate this sector is also limited which has led to spiral growth of HEIs hence questionable quality. Furthermore, the HEIs have inadequate qualified lectures with PhDs.

The Somali National University was founded in 1969 with the two Faculties of Law and Economics and the College of Education, La-Foole. In 1980, the number of faculties reached 14 faculties and post-programs were launched.

Unfortunately, the civil war that took place in 1991 demolished all education infrastructure including university campuses. The national university has been re-established after more than two decades of absence with 6 faculties, Agriculture, Veterinary, medicine, education, economics and law. In 1971 the Faculties of Industrial Chemistry and Agriculture were added, while in 1973 the Faculties of Engineering, Medicine and Veterinary Science began functioning. In the Academic year of 1979-80, the new Faculty of Language enrolled its first students. In the development plan for Somalia 1979-81 "Marine Science". The realization of the university of Somalia has been assisted by Italy, which provided financial and organizational programs through the technical Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Faculties and Colleges

1. Faculty of agriculture
2. Faculty of industrial chemistry
3. Faculty of Engineering
4. Faculty of Geology
5. Faculty of Medicine
6. Faculty of Veterinary Science
7. College of National Civil Service Administration
8. Faculty of Economy
9. College of Education
10. Faculty of Language (1st years)

The student population in 1979 was about 3000, with an intake of 800 students per year. The Faculties of the SNU offer a 4- year degree in the various disciplines. The level of the degree is equivalent to the Italian Laurea, which lies between the "Bachelor" (B.Sc.) and the "Master of Science" (M.Sc.). The College of Education curriculum was of two years' length until 1976: since then it has been compressed to a two-year curriculum. The enrolment at the SNU is done by competition and is open to-all secondary school graduates. Living expenses, textbooks and other facilities are provided by the Somali Government. The academic year is divided in two semesters (July-December and January June) with a final examination section at the end of each semester. With the collapse of central government in 1991, the SNU has also collapsed for the last 24 years. The purpose of the document, therefore, is to compose Strategic Plan for the re-established SNU that consisted of 6 faculties and discuss potential restoration of all previous faculties and potential expansion considering environmental change that took place during the period of absence of the university.

The Planning Context

While the SNU has been trying to re-establish itself, it faces various challenges, which have to be addressed. These include limited resources against the background of an increasing demand for higher education, over reliance on tuition revenue, stretched facilities and rising competition. It is critical for the University to respond to these challenges to stay successful. It will have to strengthen its brand and leverage on it to stay ahead of competition. To address the various challenges facing SNU, there will be need for change in its operations. SNU will have to increase its revenues from existing as well as new sources. It will have to handle increasing student population without compromising quality. Given the competitive pressure the University will have to reposition itself in order to strengthen and sustain its competitive edge in the market.

The Strategic Plan will be instrumental in guiding the required changes in the University. It takes cognizance of developments in the environment including the chartering of additional public universities and the need for collaboration with the Regional Governments. The plan is intended to reposition SNU in the changing environment and enable it develop unmatched competitive advantage.