As a former business owner in the USA, human resource (HR) challenges were among the least complicated issues my organization encountered. A reliable supply of skilled and unskilled labor was always available. In contrast, Somaliland businesses are currently facing a significant shortage of skilled and unskilled workers. Speaking with business owners ranging from small-scale ventures to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it’s clear that a common challenge they all are facing is finding reliable and professionally trained local workforce. Somaliland’s labor deficit is attributed to a combination of inadequate education system, a lack of professional development, and insufficient cultural and vocational learning.
The workforce challenge stems from a flawed educational foundation, particularly at the elementary, middle and secondary levels. By the time students reach university, they have been conditioned to doing only the bare minimum when it comes to task performance. The education system, or rather the lack of an effective system, has failed to prepare students with the essential skills needed to compete in today’s fast-paced result driven work environment. In 2023, Somaliland allocated only 8.36% (slmof, n.d.) budget to education from its fiscal year budget towards education, a stark contrast to neighboring Ethiopia which allocated 24% (ukfiet, n.d.) of its national budget for education and Kenya allocated 30% (the-star, n.d.)of its national budget towards education. Consequently, the result of low budget is that Somaliland’s students attend school only four hours each school day, in comparison with students in neighboring Ethiopia, which offers six hours of daily learning, while Kenya provides 7.5 hours, giving their students a stronger educational foundation and an edge over Somaliland students.
Research has shown that when students attend longer school day they perform better academically and economically. Back in the early 1990s, several Latin American countries, including Chile, extended the school day from four to seven hours which led to higher educational accomplishments and increased incomes. Research from University of California, Berkley on the benefits of the extended school hours in Latin America states “the nature of these benefits is consistent with more time in school facilitating human capital accumulation, and the results show that large-scale investments in public education can generate long-term improvements in economic well-being” (dol.gov, n.d.). Somaliland government should increase its educational spending to enable students to attend longer school hours, helping them build a stronger educational foundation.
Although Somaliland universities are producing thousands of graduates with specialized college courses, they often lack providing training opportunities in work ethics and the discipline to commit to a full eight-hour working day to their students. Universities have the responsibility not only to award degrees but also to educate students on professionalism and performance standards. Unless the universities ‘actions are changed, it will limit the ability of existing businesses to grow and prevent new companies from entering the market. A ResumeNow study revealed “84% of polled believe that having a higher level of educational attainment drives better performance and 78% agree that promotion opportunities are greater with more education” (ResumeNow, n.d.).
My findings on how Kenya and Chile transformed their education system was implementing educational reform and government accountability. According to World Bank on Kenya’s education system “the government embarked on ambitious reforms which sought to improve the quality of education through several approaches: a competency-based curriculum (CBC), reforming professional teacher development, textbook policy, and management practices at the local level” (Worldbank, n.d.). Somaliland’s education system on the other hand has been associated with lack of accountability and poor higher education governance that resulted in a disconnect between the curriculum and domestic demand for technical skills. To empower the next generation of students and leaders, the government must align the mission and vision of the education systems with the country’s long-term strategy. The Ministry of education should lead by example and maintaining a more visible presence in the schools and actively listening to the feedback of all stakeholders. It is vital that the Ministry’s involvement extends outside just the national examination period to prove genuine and continuous engagement with all stakeholders.
Culture considerably impacts work performance in Somaliland, as many parents do not emphasize the importance of pursuing and excelling at work from a young age. It is fundamental for parents to instill a strong work ethic and appreciation for hard work in their children. At the same time, the education system should implement one day a year in which parents are encouraged to take their children to work, giving them an early opportunity to learn the value of work and the benefits it provides.
In order to resolve the current HR matters, the government, private businesses, and the community must work together to achieve sufficient workforce in Somaliland. My recommendation to the government is to implement comprehensive changes management across the entire education system, including curriculum updates, quality teachers hiring, professional development, and ongoing support for teachers. In light of the increased number of foreign technical workers in the country, 27% per the ministry of labor, I urge the government to establish more technical schools to address the current shortage of skilled workers. Furthermore, the Ministry of education should incentives students to attend technical and vocational schools offering scholarships and internships with local businesses and government departments. The business communities must also take part in investing the progress of the next generation of our children by offering them internships and mentorship to students at early stage and let us remember that “it takes a village to raise a child”. Parents should “model the way” for their children by demonstrating strong work ethics and consistently completing tasks, serving as positive role models. At the same time all citizens have a shared responsibility and in this upcoming election to ask the running candidates what they plan to do about the current failed education system in the country to have a better future.
God bless Somaliland.
Mohamed Ibrahim Haji Abdi, holds a BSBA/MBA, previously served as an editor at Somaliland Press and currently lives in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
References
Ministry of Finance. (n.d.). https://slmof.org/budget
Osen, G. (2024, June 14). Education among budget winners after getting Sh656 billion. The Star. https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2024-06-14-education-among-budget-winners-after-getting-sh656-billion/
Resume Now. (n.d.). https://www.resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/education-and-success
Ukfiet. (2024, June 5). Spotlight on Ethiopia’s Secondary Education Challenges – The Education and Development Forum (UKFIET). The Education and Development Forum (UKFIET). https://www.ukfiet.org/2024/spotlight-on-ethiopias-secondary-education-challenges/
US Department of Labor. (n.d.). The Department of Labor 2013-2014 Scholars Program Working Paper Series (dol.gov)
World Bank Group. (2022). Kenya Economic Update: Lessons from Kenya’s Education Reforms. In World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/kenya/publication/lessons-from-kenya-s-education-reforms
