Mogadishu (Kaab TV) – The Somali government has announced plans to recruit 12,000 teachers by the end of 2026 as part of an ambitious effort to rebuild the country’s long-fragile education system.

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said on Saturday that the government has already recruited and deployed 6,000 trained teachers in less than two years — a significant increase from the roughly 900 teachers who were on the federal payroll when the current administration took office.

“In just two years, we recruited and deployed 6,000 trained teachers as part of our journey toward reaching 10,000 nationwide — from bustling cities to the most remote communities,” Barre said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “We are pressing forward to reach 12,000 government-employed teachers by 2026.”

Barre described education reform as a national mission, emphasizing that teacher salaries are now fully financed through domestic revenue for the first time in Somalia’s history.

“That is not just policy — it is pride. It is sovereignty in action,” he said. “Our teachers are no longer overlooked; they are honored as the heartbeat of our country and the builders of tomorrow.”

According to the prime minister, fewer than one in four Somali children were enrolled in school when the current government assumed office. Since then, enrollment has expanded significantly, with the number of national Grade 12 examination candidates rising from 7,000 to 39,000. Students in Las’anood also sat for national examinations for the first time in three decades.

Government figures indicate that nearly 250,000 graduates and 200,000 current students are now registered within Somalia’s higher education system.

Despite the progress, Barre acknowledged the scale of the remaining challenges, noting that Somalia would ultimately require an estimated 120,000 teachers to fully meet national demand.

Education specialists caution that while expanding the teaching workforce is a critical step, sustainable long-term progress will depend on continued investment in school infrastructure, curriculum modernization, teacher training, and institutional governance.

The government’s announcement signals a broader effort to transition essential public services toward domestically financed systems, aligning with ongoing fiscal reforms and state capacity-building initiatives across Somalia.