Terrorist group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere, but it was unclear if it was behind the latest blasts.
"Two car bombs targeted the education ministry building along K5 street," an inhabitant Ahmed Nur told Reuters.
Al Qaeda-allied al Shabaab, which has been fighting in Somalia for more than a decade, is seeking to topple the central government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of sharia law.
A Reuters journalist near the blast site said the two explosions occurred within minutes of each other and smashed windows in the vicinity.