His Excellency President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today hailed the “transformative role” played by teachers in Somalia.
Speaking from Villa Somalia, the President said teachers laid the foundations for a new generation of decently educated Somalis, protected from extremist ideology and ready to take on leadership roles in all walks of life.
“Teachers Day has been an important date in the Somali year since 1974, but during so many of the intervening years our country has been disfigured and distracted by fighting,” the President said. “Today we must start reaping the benefits of peace that is spreading across Somalia. Teachers play a transformative role in the life of a nation, none more so than in a country like Somalia which is recovering steadily from the ashes of conflict. I have been professionally involved in education most of my working life, so take particular pleasure in giving teachers the praise and attention they deserve today.”
The President praised the bravery and commitment of Somali teachers, whose responsibilities placed them in the frontline of the ideological battle with extremists.
“Providing a decent education is the nail in the coffin for extremist groups. Just as we fight our enemies on the battlefield with bullets, so we fight them in the classrooms with books. The recent fatwa against Al Shabaab plays a very important role in educating our children and I call on all Somali teachers to ensure they warn impressionable boys and girls of the dangers of extremism and the perverted versions of our great faith peddled by those who have taken the wrong path.”
ENDS
Malik Abdulla
Director of Communications
Office of the President
Federal Republic of Somalia
mabdalla@presidency.gov.so
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