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Somalia's 2026 National Examinations Close with Record Reach, Maternal Courage, and Mass Celebration in Mogadishu
From a mother who sat her final paper hours after giving birth to thousands of graduates flooding Daljirka Dahsoon under the Somali flag, Somalia's 2026 National Examinations closed with scenes that captured both the scale of the country's educational ambition and the spirit of its people.
MOGADISHU, 26 June 2026 (SONNA) — Somalia's 2026 Grade 12 National Examinations ended on a note of historic reach and public celebration Thursday, with more than 44,300 students completing their secondary school final exams across the country, including in remote areas served for the first time by government helicopter logistics. The closing day brought together a striking range of stories: a government commitment to broadcast top performers on national television, a mother who sat her final paper hours after giving birth, and thousands of graduates who flooded Mogadishu's iconic Daljirka Dahsoon for a celebration backed by the nation's military and police bands.
Government Pledges National Broadcast for Top Performers
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdulfatah Kasim announced that photographs and footage of students who achieve top results in this year's National Examinations will be broadcast on Somali National Television for three consecutive days. The Minister also called for all certificates to be released publicly, framing the move as a deliberate effort to motivate students and celebrate academic achievement across the country.
The commitment signals a shift toward treating examination results not merely as administrative records but as national moments of recognition, using state media as a platform to put the faces and names of high achievers before the Somali public.
Helicopters Reach the Most Remote Corners of the Country
State Minister of Education of the Federal Government of Somalia Nuurto Mustaf Mukhtaar confirmed that this year's examinations reached even the most remote areas of the country, with students sitting papers in peace and government helicopters playing a central role in delivering materials and support to hard-to-reach locations.
The deployment of helicopters for exam logistics marks a significant step in the Federal Government's effort to ensure that no student is left out of the national examination process regardless of where they live. The Minister's statement underscored a wider institutional drive to make the examinations a genuinely national exercise, not one confined to urban centres with reliable road access.
A Mother Sits Her Final Exam Hours After Giving Birth
Among the individual stories to emerge from this year's examinations, none drew more attention than that of Sabiriin Abdullahi of Bala'ad District, who gave birth on the night before the final examination day and returned to the exam hall the following morning with her newborn on her back.
Her decision to sit the paper under those circumstances became an immediate symbol of what this examination cycle represented for many Somali families: a generation of young people, and particularly young women, determined to pursue education through whatever life places in front of them. Her story has been received across the country as a tribute to the countless Somali women who carry the demands of motherhood and the pursuit of knowledge at the same time.
Thousands Celebrate at Daljirka Dahsoon as the Nation's Security Forces Join the Moment
As the examination period drew to a close, thousands of graduates gathered at Daljirka Dahsoon in Mogadishu to mark the end of their secondary school journey. The iconic landmark filled from edge to edge with young men and women waving the Somali national flag, cheering, and recording a moment many had waited years to reach.
Bands from the Somali National Army, the Somalia Custodian Police, and the Somali Police Force performed live for the graduates, giving the gathering the feel of a national ceremony and bringing Somalia's security institutions directly into the celebration of its young people.
The event took place on the eve of Somalia's 66th Independence Day, a timing that gave the scene an added layer of meaning. For this generation of graduates, stepping out of secondary school and into the next chapter of their lives on the week their country marks six decades of independence carries a weight that extends beyond any single examination result.
