LONDON (Halbeeg News) – London based Human Rights Group Amnesty International has strongly condemned a plan by Somali Government Ministry of Education to shut down social media networks during national secondary examinations slated towards the end of this month.
“It is ridiculous that the government would consider shutting down social media communications for the entire country after failing in its duty to secure the content of exam papers,” Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes Seif Magango said.
Magango called upon Somali government to explore other ways to secure the exams other than resorting to shutting down the social media sites that are very significant on information dissemination.
“They should instead explore ways to secure the integrity of the exams without resorting to repressive measures that would curtail access to information and freedom of expression,” he said.
Somalia’s Education Minister Godah Barre has announced on Monday that social media may be shut down for five days from 27 to 31 May as one of the ways to stop cheating in the national secondary school exams.
Barre canceled the national secondary examination which began on 11 May after discovering that exam papers had been leaked via social media.
Thousands of students have since taken to the streets on Tuesday to protest the cancellation of exams.
Four students were wounded after clashes with anti-riot police in Mogadishu and Beledweyn.
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