“For Somalia, the NQF is a beacon of progress and hope. The development of Somalia's National Qualifications Framework with ACQF support is a testament to the country's commitment to building a brighter future for its people” – TVET Director General, Mr. Mohamed Mukhtar.

Background

According to Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP, 2022 – 2026), the vision that guides education in Somalia is, “fulfil the right of every Somali to education and build an adequate well-educated, better skilled and competent workforce that contributes to the spiritual, economic and human development of the Nation”. Further, the mission statement for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE) is “to ensure equitable access to inclusive, lifelong quality education and training for all Somali citizens through sustainable implementation and resourcing of a comprehensive education policy and strategic plan” (MoECHE, 2020).

To this end, Somalia has in recent years supported and implemented activities related to reforming the education and training system, aimed at strengthening the quality and adaptability of the country's human resources, contributing to socio-economic development, employability, equity, social inclusion, and digital and green transformations. To sustain these efforts, and in order to give renewed impetus to the realisation of the country’s vision for the education and training sector, the Government of Somalia and key stakeholders are committed to developing a contextualised and relevant, comprehensive and inclusive National Qualifications Framework (NQF) of all levels and types of qualifications, complemented by the two important related policies: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (CATS). The development of the three policies is a positive step towards the realisation of the goals and objectives of the reform process.

Journey Towards the Development of the Policies

The ACQF-II cooperation with countries is premised on a participatory, transparent and open approach characterised by co-construction and stakeholder consultations. Emphasis is placed on relevance to country (contextualisation), ownership and stakeholder buy-in. The process is based on international best practice, with references made to global, regional and national sources.

The journey towards the development of Somalia’s NQF, RPL and CATS policies commenced on 26^th July 2023 when the ACQF-II and Somalia teams held a baseline analysis meeting. The baseline analysis was imperative as it depicted the initial state of play (starting situation) of the country’s national systems relevant to the development of the three policies. It was also an opportunity for the country to reflect, explore and identify the existing foundations of the NQF (such as supporting policies and legislation), the main strengths and gaps (such as capacities, institutions, technical methods and tools), and eventually to set a clear picture of the situation before the project with ACQF-II could start.

The MoECHE coordinates and leads the activities concerning the development of the NQF and related policies, and works with ministries, and national and international partners to stimulate a collaborative, holistic and synergistic approach. In July 2024, the MoECHE presented its roadmap for developing, consulting and implementing the NQF, RPL, CATS and catalogue of qualifications. This was followed by two consultative meetings which culminated in the “First Dialogue and Capacity Building Workshop” held in Nairobi, Kenya from 8–10 November 2024. The workshop marked a significant milestone in Somalia’s progress toward developing a comprehensive NQF and aligning with the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF). The workshop brought together national stakeholders, international experts, and facilitators to enhance capacity, debate critical policy issues, and establish a concrete roadmap for policy development.

The workshop was a national initiative owned by the MoECHE. ACQF-II project expresses highest appreciation to TVET Director General, Mr. Mohamed Mukhtar, for the leadership, cooperation, openness and trust. Acknowledgements and gratitude go to all members of the Somalia NQF team, for their dedication, commitment and very hard and effective work during the 3 days of the workshop. Their contributions to the 5 policy debates were highly valuable as inputs and orientations for drafting the 3 policy documents. The workshop was organised with support of the ACQF-II (AU, EU, ETF) project, which contributed with the expertise (3 experts). GIZ Somalia was a committed partner tasked with the organisation and logistics of the workshop, including accommodation and travel arrangements for the group of 16 representatives of key institutions actively involved in developing the main strategic proposals for a well-contextualised eco-system (NQF-CATS-RPL).

Arising from the resolutions and information collected during the First Dialogue and Capacity Building Workshop, the ACQF-II team prepared the initial drafts of the three policies, which were then reviewed by the Somalia NQF Working Group. The ACQF-II team has since elaborated the second versions of the drafts. During the drafting of the policies, particular attention was also paid to the country’s developmental and education related aspirations as espoused in the National Curriculum Framework (2017), National Education Policy (2020), Somalia National Development Plan (2020 - 2024), General Education Act (2021), National Alternative Basic Education (ABE), Policy and Curriculum Framework (2021), Policies for Teachers/ Teacher Policy (2021), National Accelerated Basic Education Policy and Curriculum Framework (2021), Quality Assurance Framework (2021) and Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) (2022 - 2026), among other national blueprints.

Highlights from the Three Policies

It is imperative to note that NQFs, CATS and RPL are now seen as key, interconnected components (eco-system) of a country’s education and training system. Thus, the simultaneous development of Somalia’s NQF, RPL and CATS will facilitate seamless recognition learning outcomes acquired from formal, non-formal and informal learning settings, including micro-credentials. This will in turn promote student/ learner mobility and articulation from non-formal and informal learning settings into the higher education sub sector. The three policies are based on the learning outcomes approach as opposed to the learning modality/ context used.

 NQF Policy

The vision of the Somalia NQF is to create a robust, flexible, transformative and transparent qualification system that supports social equity and inclusiveness, guarantees both national and global recognition of qualification, and encourages lifelong learning for upskilling and reskilling, social inclusion, employability and adaptability to the transformation of jobs and skills.

The Somalia NQF encompasses all sectors and levels of education and training in Somalia, including formal, non-formal, and informal learning, as well as micro-credentials. It spans a 10-level framework that accommodates diverse learning modalities and credentials, thereby supporting a comprehensive approach to lifelong learning.

 RPL Policy

The purpose of the RPL policy is to provide opportunities for a second chance for achieving a qualification to all individuals in Somalia that have acquired learning outcomes that are not yet documented in a document such as a qualification, a part qualification or credits toward a qualification.

The policy covers all education and training sectors that issue NQF qualifications, and labour market occupations that use these qualifications for recruitment, promotion in employment, and/ or occupational mobility. This includes self-employment, as a qualification is evidence for the skills and competences possessed by self-employed workers looking for customers just as well as a qualification is evidence for skills and competences of a potential recruit when employers look for workers/ employees.

CATS Policy

The Somalia Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (SCATS) aims to address the need for an efficient and transparent framework for recognising and transferring credits across different education and training institutions in Somalia. Further, the SCATS will facilitate the mobility of students within Somalia and internationally, enhance overall quality and relevance of the country’s education and training, and support access to flexible lifelong learning pathways.

Based on the notional hour approach (10 notional hours = 1 credit), the SCATS is a comprehensive system, covering the entire spectrum of Somalia’s education and training system and all levels of the NQF. 

Way Forward

The agreed milestones of the short-term roadmap were well received by all participants. The main milestones going forward are as follows:

Step 1: Develop the 3 policies

1. Draft 2: 30/Jan (done)
2. Consultation: Feb 2025
3. Finalisation: Mar 2025
4. Implementation plans for the 3 Policies: Mar 2025
5. ACQF QCP: participate actively in training and data collection.

Step 2: Other activities

1. Benchmarking, comparison om specific topics and issues related to NQF-RPL-CATS: Jan-Feb 2025
2. Capacity development on Quality Assurance of NQF: Mar 2025
3. Piloting RPL
4. Technical tools: adapted handbook on CBT – qualifications standards
5. Prepare for referencing to ACQF: Oct 2025.
6. Strengthening collaboration between stakeholders to advance quality assurance and standardization of qualifications in Somalia.

During the workshop, it was also emphasised that the three policy documents shall be translated into the national language. ACQF-II will rely on the support of MoECHE and GIZ to ensure timely and high-quality translations. ACQF-II will deliver all drafts in English.

News Article Author: James Mwewa