The consultation seminar was held so as to spur discussions on potential, current and previous contributions towards teacher education in Somalia. The seminar brought together higher education partners and non-governmental organizations in an attempt to forge a way ahead that would lead to better and sustainable partnerships, cooperation and projects in strengthening Somalia’s higher education sector with particular emphasis on teacher education. The seminar also facilitated discussions on improving and maintaining current partnerships while deliberating on future projects.

Objectives of the Seminar

The chief goal of the seminar was to bring together different stakeholders, actors and partners in the education sector so as to facilitate information sharing, exchange of expertise, and to provide impetus for future collaboration and cooperation among partners and actors in the field. The specific objectives of the seminar were to:

1. Exchange experiences and ideas with different stakeholders and actors to develop and improve SNU’s teacher education curriculum/program.
2. Discuss the goals, expectations and needs sought by the concerned parties.
3. Create common expectations and find a sound basis for collaboration in the future projects between the different stakeholders.
4. Increase efforts towards continuation of the development efforts at SNU and strengthen cooperation between SNU and UH.

Date and Venue of the Seminar

The seminar was held on 29^th March 2022 online via Zoom. Participants of the seminar logged on from Finland, Somalia, and Kenya.

Organizing Team and Attended Stakeholders

The seminar was co-organized by the University of Helsinki and GINT. The main stakeholders who attended the seminar included but were not limited to:

1. Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education (MoECHE)
2. Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL)
3. University of Helsinki (UH), Faculty of Educational Sciences
4. Somali National University (SNU), Faculty of Education
5. Other higher education institutions in Somalia (Mogadishu University, east Africa University and University of Somalia (UNISO))
6. International Organization for Migration (IOM)
7. FCA
8. Somali diaspora experts (Suomen Somaliliitto)

The workshop towards high-quality and equal teacher education in Somalia was organized by the University of Helsinki in cooperation with a number of partners mentioned in this report, with support and funding of Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL). The workshop stimulated discussions about potential, current and future contributions to teacher education in Somalia. It brought together higher education partners in Finnish universities and Somali universities in an effort to expand cooperation and forge a way forward that would lead to better and sustainable partnerships, collaborations and projects in strengthening the higher education sector in Somalia.

In addition to the above, the topics discussed and addressed in the workshop helped the participants gain a greater understanding of the current challenges that hinder quality and equity in education, and thus share the best ways to achieve them. These discussions and exchange of experiences would achieve Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals which is part of the strategic vision of GINTL’s cooperation with higher education institutions in Africa.

Organizing Team, Partners and Attended Stakeholders

It should be noted that the participation of a number of partners from Finnish universities, Somali universities, and some associations working in the social field, was an addition and a qualitative value to this workshop. This is the short list of participants:

• Somali National University (SNU) / Faculty of Education​ (Partners: Mohamed Ibrahim Abdi​ and Mohamed Abdullahi Gure).
• GINTL Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (project funder).
• University of Helsinki / Faculty of Educational Sciences​ (Organizers: Heidi Krzywacki, Kaisa Hahl​ and Abdiweli Yussuf ).
• University of Turku / Department of Teacher Education​ (Partners: Mirjami Jeskanen and Tuija Niemi​)
• East Africa University EAU​/ Department of Graduate Studies and Research (Partners: Jamila Aden​).
• Peace and Well-being organization/ Finland (​ Partners: Faisa Abdikafi Qasim and Salaado Qasim​)

The aim of the workshop​

The workshop aimed to achieve the following objectives:

• To provide an opportunity to learn about and explore quality and equity issues in the Somali educational systems.
• To provide a starting point for further work on developing the somali (teacher) education in terms of equity and quality matters.

Date and Venue of the Seminar

The workshop was held on 06^th February 2023 at 9:00-12:00 online via Zoom. Participants logged on from Finland and Somalia. However, the presence of the participants from Somali National University gathered in a hall in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. So, the interaction was lively, active and face to face between the participants in the hall.