GAROWE, Somalia – 25 May 2025 – More than 23,768 students officially began their secondary and intermediate school national examinations across Puntland on Saturday, marking the start of the 2024–2025 academic assessment season.

The exams were officially launched by the Acting President and Vice President of Puntland, Ilyas Osman Lugatoor, who extended his well wishes to the students, “The government has made a special effort to ensure that the students of Puntland receive education and exams of high quality, based on the national curriculum that aligns with global standards,” he said.

He emphasized that the examination is aligned with Puntland’s formal curriculum, which meets international standards, and reiterated the adminstrations’s commitment to improving educational quality and ensuring transparency in the examination process.

According to a statement from the Puntland Ministry of Education, exams are being conducted across 151 centers in 33 districts, supervised by 1,247 invigilators. Students taking the exams include those completing Grade 8 and those graduating from high school.

Puntland’s examination system operates independently of the Federal Government of Somalia, having previously severed coordination ties with federal education institutions.