There is a thick cloud when one talks about the weather regarding the Ethiopian higher learning institutions, HLIs. Universities by their very essence are meant to be venues where scholars, would be scholars, academics or intellectuals of the nation engage in various forms of advanced studies and research and try and find or contribute to the efforts of finding solutions to the day to day challenges of life of the society. It is submitted that education, advancement in studies, research and related activities are supposed to be carried out extensively in these HLIs with a view to seek tangible solutions to the problems in life of the communities.
Currently, Ethiopia has about forty five universities which are trying to fill the educational gap of well trained professionals that are supposed to be useful to the development ventures of the society. These higher learning institutions are expected to get along with the various short, medium and long term development plans of the country, and in conformity with these, produce the necessary human resource or human capital. For instance, in the efforts that the country engages to expand industrial parks, it needs thousands of trained staff in the appropriate fields of study relevant to the specific industrial park.
Naturally, the staff varies according to the specific specialty needed; the agro-industrial parks necessitate a kind of expertise different from the textiles and garment industry. And all the sugar industries need their specific experts while the hydropower sector and the geothermal industry need thousands of well trained professional engineers etc. Similarly, in the health sector or the education sector the country desperately needs thousands of graduates, well drilled and experienced adapted to the rigours of the profession.
The need for expertise is critical given the large population and the continuous increase in the figures and deteriorating conditions of life. This being the case, however, and given the kind of changes and transition the country is currently undergoing, universities and other educational institutions are not seen responding to these calls. On the contrary, they are becoming hotbeds of controversies, disputes, chaos and violence largely motivated by ethnic based motives and fuelled by forces whose interest is to create obstacles to the reforms rather than what their natural role should be. Many observers say the existing system for the last twenty seven years is now reaping what it has been sowing.
They lament it is the direct consequences of more than two decades of venomous ideology and propaganda inculcated in the youths. Universities and even schools in general to a certain extent, have been used as ‘recruiting ground of cadres’ of the system rather than being venues of intellectual development or training of youths in a free atmosphere and be wide open in their mind.
This was not the case because the party in power used every opportunity to impart its ethnic based mentality in the mind of the university students and such dangerous play has been continuing in an irresponsible manner for years. In fact, the majority of those who passed through EPRDF dominated higher learning institutions seem not to be able to conceive the world without placing themselves in some ethnic, religious or regional shell. This is of course shameful because the very essence of education is not to narrow down one’s mind or mentality into a box but have open mind and widen the horizons of thoughts and ideas to invent new worlds.
Narrow mindedness, short sightedness and chauvinism do not go with the characteristics and essence of universities. Universities do not have boundaries, race, ethnic origin or religious beliefs and the like. But the ideas of certain EPRDF bosses or self proclaimed ideologues have tried to create a kind of uniformly thinking group of students in their institutions. This could easily qualify as a crime if done intentionally. If there was to be a party politics insulated or neutral body among all institutions in the country, the one that should be mentioned on top must have been higher learning institutions.
It is here that the future leaders are formed; it is here that future managers are conceived and born. It is here that the country can invest comfortably all its future hopes and aspirations. And it is here that ideas are born and molded to benefit the society at large. It cannot be a place where the ruling party recruits members or worshippers and force to accept their ideologies without discussions. It is in higher learning institutions that every idea has to be challenged and proved to show that it is the best, the most relevant or useful to the society in which we live.
It is here that new ideas are conceived and tailored so that they are to be guidance to the hundred and more millions of citizens. Instead, for way too many years, universities in Ethiopia were used to perpetuate the sinister ideas of ethnic politics based on narrow nationalism as if it were the panacea for bad governance, violation of people’s rights and other deficiencies in the country. Observers had repeatedly warned against the very idea of dividing the country into a pseudofederal system based on ethnic origin and language because they argued that the risks of contributing to inflame anti-others sentiment or even completely erode all kinds of national feeling or patriotism that Ethiopians have developed and cherished for centuries was palpable.
The signs were there from the very beginning of such preaching. Universities must have served as places where ideas were debated in open mind and spirit with utmost freedom. That is what the experience of other societies shows us. Instead what we have undergone has been exposure to out fashioned, expired remnants of historical distortions of failed ideas inspired by intellectuals of a century ago or so to determine the fate of 21st century citizens.
The way the ideas were presented as ‘dogmas’ or ‘eternal truth’ has been so deafening and persistent that even the promoters of these ideas would not dare challenge them in the face of clear and proved debacle of the same. Unfortunately, the result is what we now observe. These higher learning institutions, instead of becoming venues of conception of free ideas, research and discussions for all humanity indiscriminately, they have become places where students and even their teachers are of the mentality that the place belongs to this or that ethnic group or to people of this region or that one.
This is not only something that goes against all principles of academic freedom but is also dangerous for the very existence of the country as an entity. Whether this was the true rationale of those who introduced and planted such mentality in these higher learning institutions or whether they were over conscious of the issue of ethnic and linguistic identity in the general frame of one Ethiopia, it needs to be examined and determined.
One fact that is probably difficult to deny is how can these people miss the dangers of exacerbating differences and that it could lead to conflicts? The age-old planting of these seeds of suspicion, doubt and at times utter hate among various nationalities has put the country in a very grave danger risking to disintegrate it into pieces with unimaginable chaos. The cynic beliefs and ideas of those early promoters of EPRDF ethnic based classifications can now have their rewards. But this is a crime committed against Ethiopians at large and one can imagine that those evil thinkers will inevitably face their judgment in the eyes of history. The romantic idea of ‘freeing Ethiopians from age old oppression’ has resulted to have the contrary effect.
This has resulted fake even in the constituencies of the promoters of the ideas. The facts are visible for every observer to weigh and judge. The current status of that establishment can be summarized in few phrases according to the findings of the Attorney General. They have found out that their unfair ethnic based rule cannot continue as planned; corruption has overwhelmed practically each and every leader of the party; violations of basic human rights have been widespread, investigators and police say what they are seen resorting to now is foment suspicion, controversies and chaos here and there, disrupting the dynamics of the reforms. And for these it has been discovered that they are capable of using every means available.
They have now realized that citizens have discovered whatever they have been doing during the past 27 years was full of illegal acts and plans some of whom may call for the attention of officials of the International Criminal Court at The Hague! Today, the hope of millions must have drowned as they find out the true nature of the higher learning institutions. The crooked ideologies of the 27-year old ethnic based ramification have produced mainly hate-filled, hate-blinded cadres, devoid of any academic credentials. That is why one can conclude that the first place to clear and re-establish afresh must be higher learning institutions. Here the hopes of all families lie. Parents would like to believe that their children will one day show them better days and narrow, superficial ideologies and philosophies are kicked out of the entire society’s psyche.
The PM was heard reiterating that a lot of precious time has already been lost by this nation in this regard and the full focus of his government must now lie on tackling this burning issue immediately. Unfortunately, it seems that we are being forced to reinvent the wheel.
Herald January 20/2019
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
