My University

BY. Mohamed Omar Ahmed, February 24, 2014.

Introduction

Somalia was a beautiful, peaceful and an exciting place to be.

However,  I’m  not going further on how things were,  so let me take  the case of ‘Education, as my base, we had the most concrete educational institutions in the continent of A Africa, where, our teachers and lectures used to go to teach for the neighboring countries and sometimes as far as the end of the continent.  But, after the collapse of our central government of Somalia everything has changed dramatically, the existence of the country is threatened in one way, or the other and simply caused many lives to die.

Similarly, the most  important of the societal sectors, including, hospitals, schools, universities and so on were used for a private centers, while the privately owned property, for instance, shops, malls, hotels were destroyed deliberately, no rule(s) was there and the people took it  by their hands.

 After the collapse, again, the Somali people were scattered all over the country and everyone went back to his/ her area of origin, now we have, the self- declared republic of Somaliland, the semi- region of the puntland, south and central of Somalia and each one started to reshape the people’s lives ,especially puntland and Somaliland.

Those two regions tried to do as much as they could for their own with the little help they received from the international community and the like-minded friends, relatively; the sectors they struggled with were including health and education.

Here in puntland, educational sector was given much attention and the ministry of education is the leading ministry among the other ministries by referring to my view, schools are built daily and the universities are numbering.

However, I have chosen to such title called ‘My University’ when I heard a special report which is conducted by a well-know a web page: www. webometric.com  within this month and my university (Puntland state University) became the leading university in Somalia after it went through several check-ups, by then I myself felt a sense of Ownership and responsibility as to why I do want  at least to tell something positive about my University for those who really think that its owned by an specific elites,its rubbish and other negative stereotypes on it and therefore its more than wording/ writing a small report such as this one, but I do hope that it can make a contribution.

Puntland State University has came through some stages, from an institute – college and now a popular university with many stakeholders, where, its graduates are working both government entities, private companies, and international agencies, they are very visible, energetic, entrepreneurs, while others are lecturers at the University, although they are fresh to the teaching, but, they are playing their part quietly and locates the capital city of puntland, Garowe.

Meanwhile, university can hold such a position mainly in three important factors, namely, the researches the university carried by itself, or sometimes with other highly learning institutions, its positive contributions both at the private sector and government as well, the nature of its curriculum and of course the lecturers who are there. Therefore, personally, I do believe that we all fine with those areas and we are proud of that record.

 However, my University, for it to be the leading university in Somalia made a change to the minds of the students in Somalia generally and its students in particular for the fact that they were minding after they finish the courses at the university in the Degree level, they wouldn’t be having another university  for proceedings  in the neighborhood, let alone the rest of the world that might accept the puntland state University’s certificate and its Curriculum is full western ideologies and the whole of its system is backed by westerners.

Holding such position among the other universities in Somalia is not something, but came commitment and efforts from all stakeholders, therefore, the University held a meeting to celebrate that with so important people, including, Somali educators, students, the media and others who came in full to be part of such an exceptional to the University.

In the process, a number of people had come to the stage to say their remarks on the subject but, I liked to take the words of our professor and our asset, professor. Ahmed Ismail, this is what He had to say ‘we have been hearing some other stories made our students inside and outside of the country, but this one, it’s a good start, therefore, we want be the leaders In the eastern African universities and remember, this has came into been in collective manner with lecturers and students, I thank you’.

As I was documenting this small report, I was interviewing with the university students, here is one of them named by Adam Ali Ahmed ‘we are feeling proud and are hoping to see the university in the top when it comes to Africa’. For me I’m very optimistic on the achievement made by my University and this is boosting its track record across the board.

 In the mean time, everyone was not the happy to the story despite many causes, like a student who decided not to use his name and He suggested that ‘this is not real, I know what this university and I think it has paid for that, simply, there was a bias in there’.

Finally,  I’m here want to offer my sincere condolences and appreciations for our lecturers who taught us the way of thinking and judging the others with pens and assure you that all of us are standing with you in prayer, thank you and above all thanks to God who gave me the power of thinking, arguing  and intellects.

                                     PSU forever.

 Contact:-

Mohamed Omar Ahmed is a B.A in Development Studies at Puntland State University (PSU) in Garowe and a novelist and He can be reached at mohamedomaryare22@ gmail.com, or + 252-907593839.