Somalia National University
Encyclopedia
The Somali National University (SNU; ) was the national university
of Somalia
. The university campus was located near KM6, in the capital Mogadishu
.
In 1973, under the new revolutionary leadership system of the military government, programs and facilities were expanded. The SNU developed over the next twenty years into an expansive institution of higher learning, with 13 departments and half a dozen outposts dispersed throughout the country.
Under the Somali Revolutionary Government, the Ministry of Higher Learning and Culture established research centers in a number of cities, with the goal of developing the regional economies. These learning centers were aimed at employees from such ministries as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Livestock and Forestry Management. Skilled and knowledgeable staff graduated from these centres.
In the mid-1970s, the teaching college of Lafoole University
(or Lafoole) was made a stand-alone institution with the help of the US Corps. The language of instruction was English.
Due to extensive damage to its facilities as well as the difficulty of holding classes and acquiring books and other necessities in the wake of the civil war
in Somalia, classes at the university have been indefinitely suspended.
was the Somali National University's primary language of instruction. Mogadishu residents were already familiar with the Italian language, and the university's main campus was situated in the city. The Lafoole Teacher's College was located outside of Mogadishu.
From 1973 onward, Somali
and English
were introduced as additional languages of instruction. All programs at Lafoole College were taught in English. Across the country, there were programs in Af Soomaali run by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, the government ministry responsible for scholastic instruction.
When the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed
's modified Latin script
was chosen by the Siad Barre
administration as the nation's official orthography
, Somali language courses began to spring up throughout the country. The language of instruction in primary and secondary schools also became Somali.
Most of the new buildings had some sort of circular design to them, and the engineer who designed them was unofficially nicknamed "Engineer O" by the students. The lights from the lamp posts on the Somali National University's campus grounds added to the bright lights of Mogadishu.
The SNU campuses were:
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
. The university campus was located near KM6, in the capital Mogadishu
Mogadishu
Mogadishu , popularly known as Xamar, is the largest city in Somalia and the nation's capital. Located in the coastal Benadir region on the Indian Ocean, the city has served as an important port for centuries....
.
General
The Somali National University was established in 1954. Its main university grounds were situated about six kilometers from the city center. Here, during the institution's first thirty years, the main campus was known as Jaamacada Gaheyr or Gaheyr University.In 1973, under the new revolutionary leadership system of the military government, programs and facilities were expanded. The SNU developed over the next twenty years into an expansive institution of higher learning, with 13 departments and half a dozen outposts dispersed throughout the country.
Under the Somali Revolutionary Government, the Ministry of Higher Learning and Culture established research centers in a number of cities, with the goal of developing the regional economies. These learning centers were aimed at employees from such ministries as the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Livestock and Forestry Management. Skilled and knowledgeable staff graduated from these centres.
In the mid-1970s, the teaching college of Lafoole University
Lafoole University
Lafoole University, sometimes referred to as Lafoole College, is a teaching university located in Lafoole, Somalia. Lafoole is between Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia and Afgoye or Afgoi City. Lafoole region is in the District of Afgoi in Lower Shabeelle Region.-Background:Lafoole University,...
(or Lafoole) was made a stand-alone institution with the help of the US Corps. The language of instruction was English.
Due to extensive damage to its facilities as well as the difficulty of holding classes and acquiring books and other necessities in the wake of the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
in Somalia, classes at the university have been indefinitely suspended.
Language of instruction
ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
was the Somali National University's primary language of instruction. Mogadishu residents were already familiar with the Italian language, and the university's main campus was situated in the city. The Lafoole Teacher's College was located outside of Mogadishu.
From 1973 onward, Somali
Somali language
The Somali language is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Its nearest relatives are Afar and Oromo. Somali is the best documented of the Cushitic languages, with academic studies beginning before 1900....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
were introduced as additional languages of instruction. All programs at Lafoole College were taught in English. Across the country, there were programs in Af Soomaali run by the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, the government ministry responsible for scholastic instruction.
When the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed
Shire Jama Ahmed
Shire Jama Ahmed was a Somali linguist who is credited with having devised a unique Latin script for transcribing the Somali language. Shire Jama's winning Somali Orthoraphy was chosen from eighteen competing new orthographies in 1972 by the Language Committee and the ruling party...
's modified Latin script
Somali alphabet
The Somali Latin alphabet has been the official writing script in Somalia since 1972. It was developed by the Somali linguist Shire Jama Ahmed specifically for transcribing the Somali language, and is based on the Latin script. The Somali Latin alphabet uses all letters of the English Latin...
was chosen by the Siad Barre
Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre was the military dictator and President of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 1991. During his rule, he styled himself as Jaalle Siyaad ....
administration as the nation's official orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
, Somali language courses began to spring up throughout the country. The language of instruction in primary and secondary schools also became Somali.
Campuses
The Somali National University had three main campuses: the first campus, Gaheyr, opened in 1954 and was located at KM 6. There were also new expansion buildings across from Gaheyr Campus. The new buildings took some years to complete and were situated on the other side of the Afgoi road, facing Gaheyr.Most of the new buildings had some sort of circular design to them, and the engineer who designed them was unofficially nicknamed "Engineer O" by the students. The lights from the lamp posts on the Somali National University's campus grounds added to the bright lights of Mogadishu.
The SNU campuses were:
- Gaheyr - Mogadishu at KM6
- Digfeer - Medicine school near Digfeer Hospital in Mogadishu
- Lafoole Teaching College - Lafoole
Faculties
The fifteen departments of Somali National University were:- Department of Sharia Law
- Department of Linguistics (Somali, Arabic, English, German and Italian)
- Department of Livestock and Forest Management
- Department of Education (Teaching College at Lafoole), 20 km west of Mogadishu
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Geology and Mining
- Department of Medicine (College of Medicine) near Digfeer Hospital
- Department of Chemical/Industrial Engineering
- Department of History
- Department of Geography
- Department of Science
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Public Health
- Department of Engineering
- Department of Political Science
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the Somali National University include:- Abdirahman Mohamud FaroleAbdirahman Mohamud FaroleAbdirahman Mohamud Farole is a Somali politician. He is the fourth and current President of Puntland.-Biography:Farole was born in the qandala region of Somalia in 1945. He first pursued his post-secondary education locally, earning a Diploma of Public Health in 1964 from the Scuola Professionale...
– President of Puntland - Abdiweli Mohamed AliAbdiweli Mohamed AliDr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali is a Somali economist and politician. He is the Prime Minister of Somalia.-Personal life:Ali is originally from the autonomous Puntland region in northeastern Somalia. He holds both Somali and American citizenship....
– Prime Minister of Somalia - Abdullahi Yusuf AhmedAbdullahi Yusuf AhmedAbdullahi Yusuf Ahmed is a veteran Somali politician. He is one of the founders of the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, as well as the Puntland State of Somalia, where he served as the autonomous region's first President...
– former President of Somalia, President of Puntland and leader in the Somali Salvation Democratic Front, and one of the founders of the Puntland State of Somalia and the Somali Salvation Democratic Front. - Abdulqawi YusufAbdulqawi YusufDr. Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf is a prominent Somali international lawyer and judge. As of February 6, 2009, he is a judge at the International Court of Justice.-Biography:...
– international lawyer and judge with the International Court of Justice - Ali Said FaqiAli Said FaqiAli Said Faqi is a Somali scientist and the leading researcher on the design and interpretation of toxicology studies at the MPI research center in Mattawan, Michigan.-Biography:...
– prominent scientist and leading researcher in toxicology - Hassan Abshir Farah – former Prime Minister of Somalia
- Nur Hassan HusseinNur Hassan HusseinNur Hassan Hussein Adde , was the Prime Minister of Somalia from November 2007 to February 2009. He is from Mogadishu and is part of the Abgaal sub-clan of the Hawiye.-Early career:...
– former Prime Minister of Somalia - Warsame AliWarsame AliWarsame Ali is a Somali scientist and assistant professor at Prairie View A&M University, specialized in aerospace technology. He has previously worked for NASA.-Biography:...
– prominent scientist and co-founder of the Somali Development Foundation - Asha JamaAsha JamaAsha Said Jama is a Somali Canadian Activist and former Somali TV Reporter.-Biography:Asha Jama was born in Merca, Somalia and grew up in the capital city of Somalia Mogadishu. Where she attended the Somali National University Lafoole to attain her degree in Journalism...
- Prominent Somali Canadian activist