His Excellency the President of the Republic of Somaliland officially launched a National Service program he initiated, Sunday, at the military training facility of Dararweine, Northeast of the capital, Hargeisa.
1000 boye and 500 girls have been submitted for a three-month induction training on several disciplines.
Speaking at the occasion, the President spoke at length of why his government introduced the program.
“By being trained together, by living together and learning together, from today on, the subjective ‘we’ will replace the more subjective, less socially inclusive ‘I’. You will be a unit whose binding factor is a national one: service to your motherland”, the President said.
He went to say that he expected the National Service program will eventually spawn the presidents, vice presidents, nurses, educators, ministers and all the critical cogs in the national wheel of leadership and excellence of the future.
“Here,” he said, “the collective you is more valuable to the individual. Together you will be trained to serve your nation for the period you are on duty”.
The President went on an inspection tour of the living quarters and training facilities of the interns.
The Chairman of the national opposition party, UCID, Engineer Faisal Ali Waraabe, and the Interim Chairman of WADDANI opposition part, Abdulkadir Jirde, voiced their parties’ full support of the program, and how they hoped a nationalistic spirit will be kindled in the hearts of Somaliland’s younger generations.
Keise Eggeh Ali and Hodan Jirde Mah spoke on behalf of the trainees expressing their delight to be among the first to start the program, and that they will be given the chance to give back to the nation that nurtured them.
All graduates who are currently not working are eligible for the NS.
The Program is designed to last 12 months for each entrant, three of which will be spent on training. Boys will undergo military training while the girls will be crash-trained on auxiliary nursing and teaching.
At the occasion, three former Vice Presidents of Somaliland, besides high-ranked members representing the opposition parties, members of the council of ministers, the House Speakers of the parliament, the military, police, custodial corps and other services commanders as well as foreign dignitaries including the Djiboutian Ambassador to Somaliland were present.
The National Service program is solely supported by the Somaliland government.
