Somalia: On federalism and education, contradictory articles in the provisional constitution on the roles of the FGS and the FMS have led to constant disagreements, no serious discussions have occurred on the extent to which the country’s educational system can tolerate decentralization and what can or cannot be decentralized.
Taking power from Mogadishu so it can then be kept in the capital cities of the FMSs should not be the motivation because, in essence, it would contradict the purpose and spirit of the decentralization of education, Somalia does not have an agreed upon model for decentralizing its education services to the FMSs or districts, thus making the provision of education service a hotly contested issue.
This discussion is crucial, and it should be guided by the need to allocate some power and responsibilities to the districts to improve access to education while safeguarding the quality and integrity of education and the education system.
However, it should be noted that the decentralization of education would be pointless if any of the power and responsibility gained from the federal government is not shared with lower levels of administration in the member states.
