Education no doubt is the base of any society and it is impossible to figure out a well-established and developed society without having had some adapted and relevant education imparted to the population. Ethiopia has always had issues with its educational system and the way education is administered, and like any developing country the issues are multifaceted and complex.
There are, among others, capacity issues, relevance issues, budget issues and principally political issues interfering overtly in the teaching learning process. Where is academic freedom? The leaders of the country have always recognized that education is key to the development and progress of the nation and their record shows that they have always tried to give maximum attention to the sector. However, the records also reveal that they have not managed to attain as much as they would have liked or needed to.
The complaints and grievances are multiple and derive from multiple sources just as the other problems the country has been facing for decades. They come from parents; they come from educators; they come from politicians who are not involved in the administrative force of the government. For decades, education is only one crucial aspect of the multiple challenges the country has been facing.
It is a country continuously trying to evolve from one political and socio-economic system to another and the educational sector is among those directly affected if not disrupted or distorted by such dynamisms. Admittedly, the problems affecting the education system in the country have been rolling through the generations and if at all there has been progress, it could be said only in numerical terms while in qualitative terms, unfortunately, there has been regression ad continuum.
The expansion of educational institutions in the country may have been even impressive during the past years earning the attention of even international bodies such as UNESCO. Universities have been expanding at a fast rate while access to primary education has been very much spread reaching practically every household in the rural areas. Privately run schools and institutions of various size and nature have also been mushrooming impressively given the ouverture to the sector.
In fact many have joined it considering it a profitable business. However, the big issue has been the continuous downward slope of the quality of education, the standard of teachers and the way the institutions have been managed! This has become the Achilles Heel of the entire system practically unmaking all the progress seemingly achieved.
Degrees and diplomas seem to have little value unless they are relevant to the needs of the population and the kind of know how the graduates are armed with should be translated into practical results. Otherwise, what is the use of opening thousands of educational establishments unless they could be appreciated for their transformative purpose? In this regard, even the so called expensive and fancy private schools have been accused of gaps in many areas not excluding the quality or standard of education. Parents are in many cases heard complaining about the disproportion between the expensive payments of fees for private schools and colleges and the poor return in terms of standards.
The lack of government strict regulation and control is also a point often raised in discussions when we talk about our education sector. The recent discussions that the prime minister had with an extensive number of representatives of the sector at the national palace is but one indication of how the sector needs urgent attention and reforms should be introduced to the sector so that soon some acceptable standard is attained.
This is too important a sector in public life that cannot be postponed for a later date. Every day is critical in the teaching and learning process and as the future generation is at stake, the full and urgent attention of the government is imperative. Every day a child goes to school and comes back with some new idea or story pushed in the back of their head.
The evolution is continuous and every brick teachers put in the mind of the child contributes to build up the personality of the kid. Studies have shown that the biggest issue now is the alarmingly low academic standard of our schools starting from the base up to the zenith of the ladder.
This is reflected by what kind of graduates we have been able to produce and recruit in our day to day life. The questions frequently asked are: What is the standard of our lawyers, economists, engineers, doctors etc? Are they trained to face and tackle the day to day issues of the society or do they just copy the curriculum of western cultural institutions and try to ‘preach in the desert’? No wonder, a revisit to all our elementary schools beginning from the KG stages where the base is formed to progressively monitor the higher grades becomes mandatory. Most of all, we need to revisit the level of qualification (both academically as well as morally!) of our teachers and educators in general to whom we assign the destiny of our children.
This is a huge burden on them and they need to be sensitized to realize that and receive the necessary ulterior training. Besides, the prime minister was stating that these teachers are ambassadors of peace and harmony to the country. They practically shape the forma mentis of the kids and it is they who are responsible for shaping the children that will be the administrators and managers of the country in but just a few years. Teachers are the ones who put the base to these kids and whatever they impart to the children or youths is crucial in their maturation. That is why training the teachers adequately and carefully becomes critical.
Teachers can impart to their pupils what they know and nothing else! As much as it is important to have good and well qualified teachers, nevertheless, we also need to fulfill all the basic facilities that are required for a smooth teaching learning process.
If there are not enough infrastructural facilities such as an adequate compound where the school or university is sited, the classrooms are inhabitable, the desks are dilapidated and there are hardly any educational materials such as books, computers, libraries and laboratories, talking about a good, functional and promising educational sector could only be futile. All these issues were mentioned and discussed during the recent meeting between the prime minister who effectively faced the problem transparently and candidly and the representatives of the teachers.
The PM admitted the complexity of the problem and the limitations of the government but implored for time. He reassured the audience that the government has been fully engaged to addressing all the issues around the teaching learning process by doubling at the institutional level the Ministry of Education and budget wise besides giving more attention to the problems of teachers, particularly in relation to their economic grievances given the kind of remuneration that they are entitled to and the benefits that they need to be provided with instead.
The short answer of the prime minister was that given the very hard macroeconomic condition of the country, teachers would need to understand the situation better than others and endure for some time (sacrifice) before things get better, hopefully in the near future. The PM admitted that issues of salaries and incomes are applicable to practically every personnel on the pay roll of the government including most notably the members of the defence forces who literally risk their life on a regular basis for a modest remuneration but advised the teachers to consider their plight as part and parcel of the country’s general condition and view themselves as ready to pay the sacrifice for a higher national cause.
Above all, he underlined that the teachers are key allies of the government and people of the country in terms of creating a generation of people who understand the multiple facets of the country and stand up to the challenges with comprehension and rationale. The premier stressed that no one is better placed than teachers to contribute to the peace of the country and to safeguard it as they are the best link with the young and fresh generation exposed to their teaching.
The premier also pointed out that it is teachers who are the real parents of the kids and it is they who carve them to be multicultural and be aware of the diversities of the country and adapt to it at an early age. Eventually, this helps avoid incomprehension and conflicts. Students who learn how to tackle disagreements at school, become good ambassadors of peace and reconciliation in future.
The PM reiterated the importance of peace as a national asset and all the rest comes later. He advised there was no place for narrow nationalism or chauvinism in the current Ethiopia and everyone should feel at home just as everyone else, irrespective of their origin, beliefs, languages or social status. These values can be best taught nowhere else other than in schools and educational establishments. And the chief architects of such transformation are teachers. As most of the officials in government are teachers in the first place, they will not or cannot afford to disregard the plight of teachers and soon better days will be dawning, according to the prime minister.
Herald January 13/2019
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
