Improving Quality of Education for Somaliland's Health Workforce

Working in partnership with three Somaliland universities – Amoud University, University of Hargeisa and Edna Adan University – the Prepared for Practice project aimed to increase the number of well-trained health workers entering the health system by:

1. Strengthening capacity of academic staff and teaching institutions;
2. Supporting undergraduate teaching, examination and clinical supervision;
3. Strengthening national governance and management of education for health professionals.

Strengthening capacity of teaching staff and institutions

The first impact report in this series, Training Somaliland’s Future Health Workforce: Strengthening the Quality of Teaching shows how the capacity of teaching staff at the three universities has improved thanks to the introduction of a Master’s course in Health Professions Education, aimed at enhancing the teaching practice of health faculty.

Over the duration of the project, 90 teaching staff enrolled on the Health Professions Education (HPE) course from three Somaliland universities – 55 teaching staff gained a Certificate level, 28 gained a Diploma level and 16 gained a Master’s level.

The course is delivered online and taught by experienced volunteers from the UK health and education sector, who also deliver face to face tutorials during short visits to Somaliland, combined with online follow-up and assessment. It equips teaching staff with an understanding of educational theory and enhances skills in teaching and assessment, creating an effective environment for medical and nursing students to achieve relevant clinical competence.

Impacts of the HPE course on teaching staff

The report found that teaching staff who took part in the HPE course improved their teaching practice and assessment of medical, nursing and midwifery students. Their classes are now more interactive and practical-based; they listen to student feedback; and with new skills in curriculum development and valid assessment design, teachers now consistently plan and prepare their courses and examinations.

A number of professional and personal development outcomes for teaching staff, particularly for women, have arisen from the HPE. Increased confidence, professionalism and opportunities for career development can be seen at all three universities. And the course has had a much wider reach than originally expected, with participants inspiring many of their peers to change their approach to teaching, by sharing their learning and running trainings for their colleagues.

Impacts of the HPE course at the institutional level

The project set out to embed the HPE course and a culture of continuous professional development at our three partner universities in Somaliland. Hargeisa and Amoud Universities are now independently leading the delivery of the HPE courses to new faculty members, run by previously trained participants of the HPE Master’s degree. They have also set up Education Development Centres to host the HPE courses and active committees for evaluation, assessment and curriculum development ensure HPE lessons are being applied by all faculty. At the University of Hargeisa, the HPE course has even been rolled out across the university, benefiting faculty in other subject areas.

As a result of the HPE courses, all three universities have now made changes to their policies and procedures around teaching and examination, that provide a common standard and approach to the assessment of their students, ensuring that only those students that meet an acceptable level of knowledge, skills and competencies graduate and enter the health profession.

Prepared for Practice is a five-year project run in partnership between King's Global Health Partnerships, Amoud University, University of Hargeisa, Edna Adan University, THET and MedicineAfrica. It is part of the UK aid-funded Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation and Reform (SPHEIR) programme.