The Imperative of Reforming the Somalia National Curriculum: Addressing Extremism, Historical Narratives, and Contemporary Challenges

Abstract

Utilizing a reformed curriculum in the education sector is very critical in meeting learner’s needs and societal demands. As such, careful and well-thought-out curriculum reforms and content diversification ought to be undertaken to adequately address the changing needs of students both domestically and internationally. Somalia's education system was long affected by the war and hence in a bid to bring reforms, it is needful that the existing curriculum addresses extremism, historical narratives, and contemporary challenges. Equally, scholars and educators in Somalia report an urgent need for National Curriculum reform to rectify the biases that have been perpetuated through generations and shape the future of Somali learners. This article delves into the historical context of the “Revolutionary Somalia” era (1969-1990) and contemporary challenges to provide a ground for reforming the Somalia National Curriculum. It adopts a literature review based on Somalia to bring ground evidence on the imperative of reforming the Somalia National Curriculum. The paper specifically assessed extremism, historical narratives of militancy, and contemporary challenges facing the federal nation. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were adopted to get the previously published literature constituting journal articles and reports. Resources legible for inclusion covered the subjects of extremism, climate change, Somalia scope, contemporary challenges, historical narratives, learners’ needs, pedagogy, 21^st century skills, and shift from content to competencies. Using literature, the findings underscore that implemented curriculum and general folk heroes emphasize extreme nationalism, glorification of reckless behavior, and the influence of literature promoting intolerance, which has contributed to a divisive societal narrative. Moreover, the current curriculum inadequately addresses pressing concerns on terrorism, civic education, 21st-century skills, competencies, problem-solving, and climate change adaptation. The paper concludes that reforming the Somalia National Curriculum is imperative as it holds the power to shape the nation's future generations. The article recommends the Ministry of Learning, Culture & Higher Education to comprehensively overhaul the Somalia National Curriculum by revising the historical narratives, enhancing civics education, integrating discussions on extremism, terrorism, climate change adaptation, environmental preservation, emphasizing resilience, sustainability, adaptation strategies and their implications for societal cohesion and security to provide a more informed, tolerant and resilient Somali citizenry.