Somalia's education ministry apologizes for textbook error Cutting Coastline by 533KM

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Ministry of Education has apologized for an error in Form Four Geography textbooks that mislead the public about the size of the country's coastline, which is among the biggest in the world for those nations sharing the resources-rich Indian Ocean coastal strip.

Somalia coastline extends from near Kismayo to the south all the way to past Bosaso and along with the disputed Somaliland territory. It's home to seaports of Kismayo, Mogadishu, Bosaso, Berbera among others, some of which are now under construction.

In the textbook whose publisher is yet to be revealed, the coastline length was reduced from 3,333KM to 2,800KM, a difference of 533 kilometers, a significant portion which could have been triggered by tough politics in the Horn of Africa, which are at times "messy and noisy".

The Ministry, however, apologized for the error but failed to clarify how the error came about despite the fact that such books are published with great care and caution. The error was raised by a teacher who teaches Geography in one of the schools within Somalia.

The apology was issued on Nov 30 after it was flagged by the teacher. The error comes at the time Somalia is embroiled in a maritime dispute with Kenya, with the case having been pushed to March 2021, where the International Court of Justice will make significant rulings.

The ministry is yet to take any disciplinary action against the authors and is yet to declare whether the textbooks will be recalled. They did, however, suggest that corrections will be made in the next edition, whose timeline could not be revealed.

Those who reacted to the above tweet said the error was embarrassing while others speculated that the country could be up for sale. Others wondered whether the books were evaluated before being released for consumption by students.

Indian Ocean maritime dispute had ravaged the relationship between Kenya and Somalia, which has further been escalated by the alleged interference of Somalia's internal politics by Kenya, especially in Jubaland, which is used as a buffer zone in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

Osman Abukar Dubbe who is Somalia's Information Minister accused Kenya of plotting to take its water and land. Speaking to Somali National TV, Mr. Dubbe said Kenya’s sinister plot was an “inappropriate daydream”.

“We respect Kenya, appreciate our neighborliness and mutual interest. On our side, we always uphold these principles. However, Kenya seems not to be interested in that but rather wants to pursue an inappropriate daydream and is a state focused on ambitions to pursue taking the Somali land and waters,” the minister said.

GAROWE ONLINE