Relative calm in Somalia means more students back in school

The town of Beletweyne in central Somalia's Hiiraan region has recorded a marked increase in pupils returning to school following relative calm in the region over the past six months, say residents and school officials."The number of pupils reporting to school since August 1 is more than last year; in my own school we have 750 students already and we expect more.

This time last year we had about 400," Abdullahi Yusuf Nur, an education official, on August told IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He said most schools had to close at various times in 2009 due to a lack of students and insecurity. Nur said the rise in back-to-school numbers was thanks to a lull in fighting between government troops and Islamist insurgents. "The last time we had fully fledged fighting was in February; so the calm we are enjoying has encouraged many families to return."  Read more at the IRIN website.