21 November 2013**
Mareeg.com-Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today hailed thetransformative role played by teachers in Somalia.
Speaking from Villa Somalia, the President said teachers laid the foundations for a
new generation of decently educated Somalis, protected from extremist ideology and
ready to take on leadership roles in all walks of life.
“Teachers Day has been an important date in the Somali year since 1974, but
during so many of the intervening years our country has been disfigured and
distracted by fighting, the President said. Today we must start
reaping the benefits of peace that is spreading across Somalia. Teachers play a
transformative role in the life of a nation, none more so than in a country like
Somalia which is recovering steadily from the ashes of conflict. I have been
professionally involved in education most of my working life, so take particular
pleasure in giving teachers the praise and attention they deserve today.
The President praised the bravery and commitment of Somali teachers, whose
responsibilities placed them in the frontline of the ideological battle with
extremists.
Providing a decent education is the nail in the coffin for extremist groups.
Just as we fight our enemies on the battlefield with bullets, so we fight them in
the classrooms with books. The recent fatwa against Al Shabaab plays a very
important role in educating our children and I call on all Somali teachers to ensure
they warn impressionable boys and girls of the dangers of extremism and the
perverted versions of our great faith peddled by those who have taken the wrong
path.
**ENDS**
Malik Abdulla
Director of Communications
Office of the President
Federal Republic of Somalia
