Banadir Teacher Training Institute (BTTI)

A.   INTRODUCTION

As a result of the civil war in Somalia in 1991, the education sector was one of the institutions suffered more. For instance, the teacher training institutes and the Faculty of Education (Lafole) were destroyed. In addition, a lot of the professional teachers either fled from the country or sought other jobs for better career.

Therefore, in order to fill this gap (partly), the Benadir Teacher Training institute was established in Mogadishu in  2002 by the Formal Private Education Network in Somalia (FPENS) in cooperation with NOVIB OXFARM.

B. LOCATION 

The Benadir Teacher Training Institute building (a two- storey) is situated in Hodan District of Mogadishu with a capacity of 480 students and 14 teachers at present.

The building, which was constructed in 2006, is composed of 8 classrooms, 3 offices and a computer lab. The construction of this building was funded by the Africa Muslims Agency Office (AMA),

C. SECTIONS OF THE INSTITUTION 

Currently, the main sections of the institute are:

1. Social studies (History and Geography)

2. Physics and Mathematics

3. Biology and Chemistry

4. In-service and Pre-service Section

D. TERMS OF ADMISSION 

Everyone who wants to join the Institute should be:

1. Somali citizen

2. Holder of a genuine secondary school leaving certificate

3. Less than 35 years of age

4. In good health, mentally and physically, and

5. On good behavior

E. VISION

The Benadir Teacher Training Institute has a vision of primary and secondary schools in which there would be no a shortage of teachers.

F. MISSION

BTTI’s mission in education is to train a great number of teachers for the primary and secondary stages.

G.  OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the Institute is to produce well- trained teachers for the primary and secondary schools of FPENS in particular.

Objectives of the Institute are to:

1. restore role of the teacher training institutes and faculty college of Education in the past;

2. recruit/ train teachers for the primary and secondary schools run by FPENS;

3. create new job opportunities for a great deal of students who graduated from the secondary schools by providing them with teaching skills, and

4. build/develop capacity of the teachers serving for FPENS primary and Secondary schools by giving them in –service teacher training during the school summer holiday (June & July)

H. PLAN OF ACTION OF 2017

The Benadir Teacher Training Institute is planning, in 2017, to:

1. enlarge BTTI educational activities by including a new section: English and Arabic;

2. establish a science laboratory for the Institute;

3. enroll new students for the courses of the Institute;

4. provide BTTI students preparing for universities with upgrading courses;

5. follow up situations of the BTTI graduates (their whereabouts, professions/occupations, etc.);

6. improve BTTI relation with the other local and international organizations/institutions involved in education;

7. seek for supporting sides, and

8. endeavor to develop the Institute into a University

In conclusion, besides the regular courses that provides by the Benadir Teacher Training Institute in this year, 2016:

1. Chemistry-Biology

2. Physics-Math

3. Social Studies, the institute provides at present a two-year parallel in-service and Pre-service teacher training program, in cooperation with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), in order to improve the education at the schools in Mogadishu and surroundings.

I. GROUPS GRADUATED FROM THE INSTITUTE

So far, 12 groups have graduated from the Institute as the following timetable is showing:

S.No.	Group	Section	Number of Graduates	Duration
1.	Group 1	Social Studies	64	2002 – 2004
2.	Group 2	Bio-Chemistry	57	2004 – 2006
3.	Group 3	Physics & Math	17	2007 – 2009
4.	Group 4	Social Studies	21	2007 – 2009
5.	Group 5	Bio-Chemistry	24	2008 – 2010
6.	Group 6	Social Studies	22	2010 – 2012
8.	Group 7	Bio-Chemistry	24	2010 – 2012
8.	Group 8	Physics & Math	22	2011 – 2013
9.	Group 9	Bio-Chemistry	38	2013 – 2015
10.	Group 10	In-service/Pre-service	300	2013 – 2015
11.	Group 11	Social Studies	25	2013 – 2015
12.	Group 12	Bio-Chemistry	28	2014 – 2016
Total			642

The Institute offers a free post-secondary education for two years in four courses/ semesters in the areas of Social Studies, Physics and Mathematics and Biology and Chemistry. 6 senior full professors of the faculties of the former Somali National University, 5 full professors of the currant Universities in Mogadishu and 3 qualified teaching assistants are now teaching at the Institute.

At present, the total number of the students is 115: 34 in Physics and Mathematics Section, 36 in Social Studies Section and 45 in Biology and Chemistry Section. In addition, the registration of new students is on-going.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Institute has recently established good relation and cooperation with some educational institutions and universities in Mogadishu in particular.

Therefore, the students, after graduation from the Institute, can continue their education in one of these universities (beginning from semester five).