BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
The two years conflict in the northern part of the country has caused tremendous damage in various public and private service rendering facilities, including health and education institutions.
Subsequent to the conflict, the provision of basic services, such as healthcare services, education, electricity, water, telecom, bank and road and air transports were interrupted in the Northern part of Ethiopia for over a year.
However, following the peace agreement signed between the government and TPLF to end the conflict and normalize the situations, services that were disrupted for two years have become operational and started providing services.
Thanks to the concerted energies exerted by partners and pertinent stakeholders, the wind of peace is blowing in the northern part of Ethiopia and things are getting back to normalcy. Currently, electricity and telecom services, banks, and air transport have begun operations and fellow citizens have started breathing air of peace and enjoying the resumption of basic services. In the same manner, the Ministry of Education has recently announced that preparations are well underway to resume education in Tigray State, including in four universities.
According to Ministry’s Public Relations and Communication Executive Director Amelework Hizkeal, officials from the Ministry of Education and Interim Administration of Tigray State as well as Presidents of Universities held productive discussions and decided to study the readiness of education facilities, gather the teachers’ and students’ data and similar information that are key to resume teaching-learning activities in the State.
The peace agreement reached in Pretoria between the government and TPLF is instrumental in facilitating rehabilitation activities. In addition to the restoration of basic services and the provision of humanitarian aid to the people in the State, the reconstruction efforts are underway.
Following the accord signed, the incumbent has also been implementing the peace agreement in a bid to allow the establishment of regional interim administration, disarm and integrate the armed forces, restore transport and resume vital basic services including education among others.
According to Education State Minister, Samuel Kifle (PhD), efforts are being made to resume general education including in four universities in the State. ’We have studied the extent of damage to educational institutions, identified the issues needed to resume education and started preparations,” he said.
The Chief Administrator of Tigray Region Interim Administration, Getachew Reda, stated that although the damage caused by the conflict is huge, the efforts being made by the government to implement the peace agreement is encouraging.
He said that the government’s support in various ways to resume education as quickly as possible and the commitment it has been demonstrating in this regard will motivate the interim administration to do more work.
The President of Addis Ababa University and Government Universities Cooperation Forum, Professor Tassew Woldehanna, on his part said that higher educational institutions should repeat their effective problem solving measures by strengthening cooperation.
The cooperation that the Ethiopian universities have demonstrated to Wollo, Woldia and Mekdela Amba universities after they were damaged during the war should be repeated to the universities in Tigray, he stressed pledging to play their part to the effective implementation of the peace agreement. Meanwhile the presidents of Mekele, Aksum, Adigrat and Raya universities disclosed that they are making the necessary preparations to recommence education.
The conflict in the northern part of Ethiopia has incurred devastating damages in Tigray, Amhara and Afar states. Educational institutions are among the facilities badly affected by the conflict. Following the peace agreement made between the federal government and TPLF, several social services have been restored.
Thanks to the efforts made by the government and other stakeholders, universities of Wollo, Woldia, and Mekdela Amba have now been rehabilitated and resumed classes. Similarly, Mekelle, Aksum, Adigrat and Raya universities have been carrying out the necessary preparations to restart education.
Adigrat University president, Zaid Negash (PhD) appreciated the efforts being made by the federal government to resume education following the peace agreement. He stressed the need to accelerate the teaching and learning process and sustain the peace.
Mekelle University Research and Community Services Vice President, Birhanu Hadush (PhD) on his part said that in spite of the damages, there are chances that would enable the University to resume education stressing the need to get authorization and required budget from the Ministry of Education to provide the necessary inputs.
Samara University President, Muhammad Usman (PhD) said the damage incurred on the universities is a big loss for the whole country emphasizing that rehabilitating the institutions and making them ready for service is the responsibility of all Ethiopians. Education Bureau Head of Tigray Interim Administration, Dr. Kiros Guesh called on all to exert effort to make the damaged educational institutions ready for teaching and learning activities.
He also called upon all Ethiopians to play their role in supporting the reconstruction of schools in the region. To sum up, as education has the potential to bring significant benefits to individuals and society, the effort to resume education in Tigray State and in the neighboring states is instrumental in a bid to ensure sustainable human development that could go well beyond its contribution to individuals’ employability or income.
However, the restoration effort should not be left to the government or any single entity. Rather, it demands the cooperation and active participation of all- development partners, pertinent bodies, stakeholders, international actors, individuals as well as the general public. Thus, rehabilitating and restoring war-ravaged areas should be the responsibility of all to realize the efforts shortly.
The Ethiopian Herald April 13/2023
