Challenges in Implementing the Somali National Curriculum in Primary Education: Evidence from Kismayo, Jubaland, Somalia
Abstract
The implementation of a national curriculum is not completed when prescribed content reaches schools; it depends on whether teachers have the materials, professional preparation, learning environments, and institutional support needed to translate curricular intentions into classroom practice. This study examined reported challenges in implementing the Somali National Curriculum in primary education in Kismayo and the wider Jubaland study setting. A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was conducted during the 2024/2025 academic year among 192 education stakeholders drawn from a stated population of 369 teachers, school administrators, Ministry of Education officials, and education experts. The source study reports stratified sampling, a structured five-point questionnaire, and Cronbach’s alpha of .967. For this revised article, the published item frequencies were independently recomputed to correct several percentage and interpretation errors; no respondent-level observations were created or imputed. Perceived shortages were most acute for library resources (71.4% disagreement with adequacy), technology access (70.8%), and textbooks (63.0%). Recreational facilities (54.7% disagreement) and consistent professional-development opportunities (49.2% of 191 valid Likert responses) were additional concerns. Respondents nevertheless reported positive perceptions of some school practices, including leadership support (55.2% agreement), student motivation (59.9%), and constructive teacher feedback (60.9%). These constitute adult perceptions and are not independently verified evidence of student achievement. The original report presented experience related ANOVA differences for infrastructure, training, and resources; however, its degrees of freedom cannot be reconciled with the five experience categories without information about recoding. The findings indicate a substantial gap between curriculum expectations and implementation capacity. Policy priorities include equitable textbook distribution, low-cost instructional technology, school-level needs assessments, sustained teacher mentoring, transparent supervision, and directly measured learning outcomes. Findings should be interpreted as descriptive evidence from sampled stakeholders rather than causal estimates or representative student performance statistics.