# Somaliland Ministry of Education and Science: schools and national exams

> What Somaliland's education ministry does, who leads it, its national exams and the 2026 results, and how it differs from the federal system.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/somaliland-ministry-of-education/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## What it does

The ministry runs [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/)'s school system, including the national certificate exams for Grade 8 (intermediate) and the fourth year of secondary school, which decide whether students move on to the next level ([allAfrica, 29 June 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202606290094.html); [allAfrica, 26 August 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202608260035.html)). Somaliland runs its own ministry, curriculum and exams, separate from the federal [Ministry of Education](/en/institutions/ministry-of-education/) in Mogadishu, which covers the federal member states ([Ministry of Education page](/en/institutions/ministry-of-education/)).

The exams are set and marked by the Somaliland National Examination and Certification Board, which also lets students check and verify results online ([Somaliland National Examination and Certification Board](https://slnecb.org/results)).

## Who leads it

Prof. Ismail Duale Yusuf is Minister of Education and Science ([allAfrica, 26 August 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202608260035.html)). Reports in 2026 also call the ministry the Ministry of Education, Training and Science ([allAfrica, 29 June 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202606290094.html)).

## The 2026 national exams

President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro) opened the 2026 exams at [Farah Omar](/en/people/haji-farah-omar/) Secondary School in Hargeisa. The government said a record 42,519 students sat them, the most in Somaliland's history ([allAfrica, 29 June 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202606290094.html)).

The minister announced the results on 25 August 2026 at the National Examinations Office for the eastern regions in [Burao](/en/regions/togdheer/). Two reports give slightly different figures:

| Exam | allAfrica | Dawan Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 8, sat | 26,116 | 26,116 (14,407 boys, 11,709 girls) |
| Grade 8, passed | 25,806 | 25,860 |
| Secondary, result | 16,051 sat, 27 failed | 16,051 passed, 27 failed, 41 did not sit |

Sources: [allAfrica, 26 August 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202608260035.html); [Dawan Africa, 25 August 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/more-than-16000-pass-somaliland-secondary-exams). The minister said all students in vocational and technical education passed ([Dawan Africa, 25 August 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/more-than-16000-pass-somaliland-secondary-exams)).

In 2025 the secondary pass rate was 97.9% ([Dawan Africa](https://dawan.africa/news/somaliland-records-979percent-pass-rate-in-secondary-school-examinations)).

## How to use it

How to check a result in Somaliland, [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) or the federal system is explained on [exam results](/en/society/exam-results/).

## Related pages

[Somaliland's institutions](/en/institutions/somaliland-institutions/), [Somaliland University of Technology](/en/institutions/somaliland-university-of-technology/) and the federal [National Commission for Higher Education](/en/institutions/national-commission-for-higher-education/).

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