Himilo Kaab: Bringing Montessori Education To Somaliland
Abaarso School is proud to open up its first primary school, Himilo Kaab School, in Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Himilo Kaab currently has 34 students split into two classes and five teaching staff. The students are between the ages of 3-6 years old. Himilo Kaab students are drawn from across the city but primarily from New Hargeisa neighborhood where the school is located.
The school’s approach to education is best described as “student-centric”. This means that the curriculum, learning methods, and facilities are set up for the students, not the teachers. To achieve this goal, the school utilizes a Montessori curriculum. Under a Montessori curriculum, students have the freedom to select physical materials around the room to learn maths, languages, spatial reasoning, geography, and more. The use of these physical materials cleverly allows students to learn abstract concepts in a concrete way. In a Montessori classroom, you won’t see rows of desks or blackboards. This is because teachers are not meant to be the center of attention in the classroom. Instead, students choose their workspaces and learn independently or in small teams. Teachers present the Montessori materials to the students, display the materials around the room in order of ascending difficulty and then work with students one-on-one while meticulously tracking individual student progress accross the various areas of the curriculum. Students learn by doing, trying, failing, and trying again.
With the Montessori approach in mind, Stephen Finney the Himilo architect imagined spacious classrooms with semi-enclosed verandas accessible through gaping 3.6-meter entryways. The classroom doors consist of four panels, each independently movable for a total of nine different lighting and access configurations. The generous size and flexible learning areas perfectly suit a curriculum that encourages students to find their own optimal workspaces. Stephen created a first-in-country skylight and louver system that capitalizes on Somaliland’s sunshine by reflecting natural light onto our sloped wood-panel ceilings. The effect creates a warm, well-lit learning environment with mild lighting variations throughout the rooms, catering to the Montessori focus on differentiation.
The Abaarso family is excited and looking forward to the contributions that Himilo Kaab Primary School will make in enriching the Somaliland community.