MOGADISHU (SD) –  Somalia’s federal and regional state education ministers have inked agreement to standardize the education system in the horn Africa nation.

Education ministers from Puntland, Jubbaland, Hirshabelle, Galmudug and Southwest as well as representatives from Benadir region have attended two-day forum which was chaired by Abdullahi Abukar Haji, Somali minister for education.

According to the agreement, the school curriculum at secondary will be unified.

This will also include a joint examination in line with guidelines issued by the Federal Government.

All FMS save for Puntland now subscribe to joint national examinations administered by the Federal Government.

Late last year, the country launched a new unified curriculum for secondary schools countrywide.

Following the collapse of the central government in 1991, private schools came together under what they called umbrellas which administered choice curriculum and exams. Most of the schools used either Kenyan, Sudanese or Saudi Arabia systems.

Most schools in the country still operate under the same umbrellas and issue certificates.

However with the introduction of government administered exams in 2015, the number of students sitting for the standardized tests has risen significantly.