Solution In Education
Despite the challenges and complexities it presents, resettlement to a third country can also present new opportunities which would have been beyond some refugees’ reach if a refugee inducing factor did not occur. These opportunities include the attainment of higher educational qualifications and other skills which can enable people to achieve social and economic wellbeing.
Education was always a key factor for people throughout the history of society; its demand has increased considerably in recent decades because new skills and information have become more crucial as a result of globalisation.
In New Zealand Education is one of the levers for lifting the New Zealand economy, therefore, Somalis integration with New Zealand society is shaped by the extent to which Somalis can gain the skills needed to achieve social and economic wellbeing. There are many other reasons that justify Somalis in New Zealand to make education a top priority. These include:
Consider ourselves a resources base for our home country. We have come from a country where there had been no functional education system for over two decades. This led to a large number of Somalis youth to miss education and became child soldiers which are the only livelihood mechanism they can employ. There are also many others who have drowned in the ocean while pursuing education and better living conditions.
Many Somali youth who were lucky enough to get resettlement into a generous country like New Zealand also did not make good use of the opportunity given to them. These two factors leave us with the question of who is going to take responsibilities for the future of our people and our country. It is also important to remind ourselves that lack of education was the major contributing factor of our nation’s destruction. Lack of education, which includes Islamic education, is also a strong supporter of the current chaos and anarchy in Somalia.
Employ education as a tool for sustaining our identity: I strongly believe there is a strong correlation between how well we can maintain our Somali identity and the Islamic co-values and the level of education we attain. Education achievement enables us to be well abreast with the global events and to put strong safeguards to prevent ourselves from the challenges they can present to us
Finally, I would like to suggest that the attainment of the above is not the sole responsibility of the young people; however, it requires all segments of the communities to exert equal pressure.
