Dr Sadiyo Siad is NEF Ambassador for Somalia and the Chancellor of Hano Academy. After she was appointed as NEF Ambassador, she founded Somali STEM Society with the support of former Somalia Minister of Education, Prof. Abdinur Sheik Mohamed. She hosted the first Somali STEM Summit in July 2018, followed by STEM Awareness Week in August, sponsored by the UNDP. Being a believer, whose strength & resilience meant that she not only survived but thrived in difficult life circumstances, Dr Sadiyo Siad has a mission of rebuilding Somalia one person, one brick at a time (for info, read here) and STEM education is on her top priority.
The type of education offered in Somalia is low standards. Having been in a civil strife for more than two decades, the country’s education infrastructure deteriorated extensively.
Somalia is currently developing new curriculum that shall be offered uniformly on all
schools. Sadly, most of the training institutes follow different curriculums. This lack of
uniformity affects the general level of education offered in Somalia.
On the other hand, the STEM concept is new and has never been in Somalia. Introducing
STEM in Somalia plays a major role towards improving educational standards. It also
prepares the students to become problem solvers and innovators
by applying the STEM
knowledge. Having STEM across all cities also serves as a unif
ying factor for the entire
country. It acts as a symbol of national unity as it involv
es people from all parts of the
Federal Republic of Somalia and Somali regions.
