MOGADISHU – The Banadir Regional Education Directorate has announced the schedule for the 2025/2026 Grade 8 Certificate Examinations, with thousands of students in the region set to take the tests starting June 15.
According to the timeline, the examinations will span four consecutive days from June 15 to June 18. Students will face Arabic and Islamic Studies on the first day, followed by Mathematics and Technology on June 16, English and Science on June 17, and Education and Somali Language on the final day. The Benadir Regional Directorate of Education earlier disclosed that primary school students will sit for their exams from June 15 to June 18, with a total of 41,639 primary school students expected to participate across the Benadir region last year.
Education officials confirmed that all arrangements for the examinations are complete, with enhanced measures implemented to guarantee transparency, fairness and the integrity of the examination process. The Directorate appealed to school administrators, teachers and parents to offer students the necessary support during the examination period, emphasizing the need for a suitable environment that enables candidates to demonstrate their full capabilities.
The Minister of Education, Culture, and Higher Education, Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, has previously inspected national exams in Banadir, emphasizing the importance of transparency and fairness in the process and reaffirming the government’s strict anti-cheating measures. The minister extended gratitude to parents, teachers, and exam staff for their role in safeguarding the credibility of the national exams.
The Grade 8 examinations constitute a significant academic achievement for students advancing to secondary education and are part of comprehensive efforts to enhance educational quality throughout the Banadir region. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially inaugurated Somalia’s 2025/26 academic year in Mogadishu, marking the start of a new school cycle with a strong emphasis on teacher development and examination integrity. Education officials described the exams as a milestone, citing improvements in organization and wider participation of students nationwide.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has unveiled a comprehensive reform of the national education system, highlighting that for the first time in contemporary Somali history, the salaries of newly hired teachers are fully funded through domestic national revenues. This financial autonomy marks a significant advancement in state capability, demonstrating the Federal Government’s capacity to sustainably manage its fundamental public services.
This announcement aligns with the Federal Government of Somalia’s continued focus on educational reforms designed to increase access to high-quality education and improve national assessment frameworks. The President of Southwest State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, laid the foundation stone for a new Teacher Training Center in Baidoa, a major initiative aimed at strengthening the education sector across the region. The facility will serve as a hub for professional development, offering modern training programs for new and existing teachers.
In recent times, officials have intensified initiatives to standardize examinations, enhance teacher development and improve educational supervision as components of broader state-building and human capital development programs. The government has been implementing significant reforms in the education sector, with final examinations held for the first cohort of government-recruited teachers enrolled in a flagship two-year national training program.
Authorities expressed optimism that the examinations will proceed without issues and encouraged students to stay focused and properly prepare for the assessments. National secondary school examinations are scheduled to be held from June 20 to June 25, with nearly 40,000 students expected to participate from Federal Member States and the Banadir region.
As classrooms in Mogadishu and neighboring areas ready for the examination period, education officials stated that the successful implementation of these tests would represent further progress in building confidence in Somalia’s developing education system and nurturing the nation’s upcoming generation of students. The rising number of candidates signals growing confidence in Somalia’s public education system, with education officials noting that the national examinations remain a critical component in strengthening Somalia’s education framework and ensuring standardized academic assessment nationwide.
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