BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
The manufacturing industry in Africa is at an adventitious level. While the world has reached the 4th level of the industrial revolution many African countries are still languishing in level II. This keeps the continent in poverty and takes it a quite long time to advance to the next level of technology. Furthermore, this economic situation will make the continent vulnerable to becoming dependent on others. Therefore it is important to quickly change the situation so that Africa can build a competitive manufacturing industry.
The 4th industrial revolution is characterized, among other things, by high precision technologies known as robotics, mechatronics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). These technologies are advanced and high-tech that they need years of training and expertise to apply. As a result, introducing and mastering them would be a formidable challenge for a developing continent like Africa.
Thanks to the all-rounded collaboration between Africa and China, these technologies are going to be mastered by African youth. China and Africa have cemented their cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
Through FOCAC the two sides have carried out various tangible developments to foster political, economic and social cooperation.
One of the main areas of cooperation is technical and vocational education. For instance in Ethiopia, China has helped in opening the Ethiopian Technical University (ETU). The university went operational 10 years ago and during these times it has trained and graduated about 10 thousand students. The University which started as a technical and vocational education and training institute now mainly focuses on the training of technical teachers and technical education leadership.
The technical teachers and leaders are meant to be deployed to some 600 public and about 900 private technical and vocational education and training institutions across the country. The education of technical teachers and leaders aims to train as many Ethiopian students as possible in the fields like robotics, mechatronics and artificial intelligence, among others, so that they can become qualified for the 4th generation of the industrial revolution.
To this end, Ethiopian Technical University (ETU) has launched a new, state of the art technical laboratory that supports the training of students in the above mentioned high-tech precision technologies.
Recently The Ethiopian Herald had interviewed Mr Jiang Jiang, a technical teacher in the University and Directory of Confucius Institute there to explain more about the role of the workshop and further realize the goal of China Africa cooperation. Enjoy reading!
Can you tell us briefly about the progress of China Africa Cooperation?
I come from Tianjin University of Technical Education (TUTE). My University has made ten years of cooperation with Ethiopia especially through Ethiopian Technical University (ETU). We started with vocational training because Tianjin University is one of the top class universities in China. We understand that young people’s vocational training is very important in Ethiopia. So we have such long time cooperation. Since then we have also introduced the Confucius institute. Our Confucius Institute is special from the other one because from the beginning we train our students in the Chinese language based on vocational training. We believe the Chinese language functions as a bridge to communicate between the two countries people. It also helps students to get a better job in the future.
This year our government and institution started new development, new equipment in this institute. This university from the beginning was built by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Then Tianjin City government and our university donate some training equipment laboratory. By 2021 we build this Luban Workshop. It meets state of the art equipment of international standards.
How is ETU performing in technical and vocational training since its establishment?
I also taught in the classroom for 10 years. I found Ethiopian students with many talents and have an eagerness to study advanced technology. And they are very smart. For example, I had a student with projects. When this student studies with me, sometimes we forget lunch or dinner. They never complain that because when they see new equipment, new technology they also work the whole night and forget everything.
The only problem is they had no such chances, as I know because this student, they are a nationwide different place. Sometimes they are the place. Even you have the TVET School, but no such lecture. They have the dream they have the knowledge, even some of my students have the vision of going international. When they talk about some state of the art technology, I am shocked. So even today, some of my previous students ask me to have them bring some materials, they can build amazing technology by themselves.
so I think with these talented students … some of them have created their jobs. For example one of my students created his electricity maintenance shop last week and came to me and gives me a gift. It is a mark of this and I have him to get some maintenance equipment. So last ten years I have seen a lot of amazing stories like that. If they have such an environment and such conditions they are incredibly smart.
There are many universities in Ethiopia that train students in engineering. What difference can ETU make?
The Ministry of Education has categorized Universities into different types. For instance, Addis Ababa University was categorized as a research type. ETU is a vocational and skills development type. This position is like Tianjin University of Technology Education because today our new generation of workers are not into the simple low-level work because when the revolution of industry coming to the fourth generation coming to our new labour force must have the high intelligence and knowledge. This knowledge you cannot get in traditional industry companies or factories. They must have this… equipment. These expertise skills need several years of training and a high intelligence trainer. So in China universities train students in high skills.
Can you tell us briefly about Luban Workshop?
Luban is a Chinese legendary craftsman, carpenter. When he cuts the wood into a bird, the bird can fly. He is a part of China workmen. In the 2018 China Africa Cooperation, our chairman Xi Jinping claims China will build ten Luban Workshops in Africa to help young people promote their working skills.
What is the importance of focusing on advanced technologies like robotics, mechatronics and AI?
So far most of the industries in Ethiopia are not advanced. I remember when we visit Ethiopia we see that nobody can program robots. Actually in today’s global completion, even Africa countries like Ethiopia we can still some high precision work industry. This is a global industry chain so Ethiopia has also about to do such jobs if our young people have a chance to such a raining for high precision advanced technology, robot,
mechatronics of this. Even today we have China companies, mobile companies like automotive companies all these also need a local person for advanced work. SO far in this company some technical work still by china. Our purpose is to transfer to a local person. That is why we still need robots and mechatronics.
How is the workshop helping the teaching-learning process?
This workshop just opened half a year ago. We can create so far we are training thousands of local teachers and also students from science and Technology University.
If you have visited other universities can you tell us their difference with ETU?
Other Universities have lecture classes but have lacked in practice chances. Even before our students have no chance to practice. So training universities, government to support such a chance. IF they have this chance they can apply it to any university or company.
China and Africa cooperate different angles, one is technical and vocational training. Africa youth work labour force. The advanced skilled labour force is bringing a bright future for Africa. In China, we have the experience we were poor. And to make a country stronger we focus on young people, labour force training. And they change our industry. So we can catch up with the international top industry skills. IN my opinion, this technical education would bring a better future.
Thank you!
You are welcome!
The Ethiopian Herald December 4/2021
