Modern Education Development, Challenges and Current State in Eritrea (1839 to 2016)

Pt. 4c.Education during the first two decades of the Ethiopia occupation (1960s and 1970s)

Compiled and researched by Resoum Kidane

As a result of Ethiopian annexation on 14 November 1962, Eritrean educational system was merged into the Ethiopian educational system, and all education decisions were made in Addis Ababa. .Following annexation three terms a year were changed into two semesters a year. Rave.. Although Secondary schools opened immediately to the abolition of Federation, in 1963 the Publications Committee was aboloshed and Arabic and Tigrinya textbooks were burned.

After the annexation in 1962 in addition to the two secondary schools established during the federation period, the following senior secondary schools were opened immediately to the abolition of Federation.

The openning of the above schools to some extent greatly contribute for the increasing the number of high school students in Eritrea. Those students who continuing their secondary education in Eritrea were also succeeded to pass the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (E.S.L.C.E) to pursue their higher education. This was because of the standard of education in Eritrea was far in advance of the Ethiopian education system which was ranked   bottom among African nations at the Conference of African States on the Development of Education held in May 1961 [12].

As a result of this and other factors such as thirst for education that was aroused during the British Administration, Eritrea was among the main sources of students for the university in Ethiopia through the Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (E.S.L.C.E)

  Table 1.

Source: A historical survey of state Education in Eritrea   p.101

Table 2

Source: A historical survey of state Education in Eritrea   p.106

  However, in the 1960s the Ethiopian government gradually  introduced a calibration of examination scores  for entrance to  the university  according to the province of origin, in order to limit places in higher education for  Eritrean students.  The main purpose of of the calibration of examination score according to the province of the orgin was to limit places in higher education for  Eritrean students.  Based on this policy, students from provinces with poor educational endowment needed only  to achieve low marks to gain entrance to the university compared to those with better schools in  Eritrea .  This policy was not applied to Addis Ababa   which had a  higher  number of  foreign teachers  as compared to  Eritrea . (Table 1)

The increase number of the Eritrean students entrance to the university didn't decline  even after the Ethiopian government  introduced a calibration of examination scores  for entrance to  the university  according to the province of origin, in order to limit places in higher education for  Eritrean students. 

Negussay Ayele( p.6 states that over the years some University faculty members had been observing certain disturbing and unchanging patterns in the results of the exams. He adds that the highest numbers of University entrants for much of this period were Eritreans. Virtually 90% or more of those who took the exams and eventually qualified for higher education came from Eritrea and some large towns like Harer, Dessie and especially Addis Ababa. Evidence of this can also be seen from a table above.

From 1963-68 800/5000 Eritrean Students were in Kedemawi HaileSillasie Nowday AAU Universty and some of them were
1,Dr Siuom Hargot,Prof Leggese Asmerom and Haile Monkorios were fm Harvard 2,Huruiye Tedle was also fm Oxford On the other way Dr Biement Mahamed,Dr Weldeab Issack,Alemseged Tesfia,Tekie Tesfia,Beyne Tekie,Kidane Adgay,Weldeyesu Aammar,Semere Ressom,Arefaine Berhe,Prfo Daniel Haile,Martha Mebrahtu,Amaniel Yohannes Radio,Temsgen Haile Tihsha,Michial Gaber,Teclia Aden,Petros Solomon,Melaeke Tekle,Gen Sibhat Efpriam,Mengisteab Asmerom Ferro,Iyob Beamnet and ofourse my Father:-) the list …long….. Haftina [Source from Responses to Srryet Addis: Blatant Lie? Lameak a says: March 26, 2012 at 11:26 am. Erlich (1983) who was lecturer at the University of Addis Ababa also observed that the proportion of Eritreans at this University was higher than for Ethiopians in the early 1970s. 

Erlich (1983) who was lecturer at the University of Addis Ababa also observed that the proportion of Eritreans at this University was higher than for Ethiopians in the early 1970s.   A lecturer, who had worked in Ethiopia in the early 1970s, claimed that there were more Eritrean students than Ethiopians at Haile Selassie I University during the period that he taught there. The high number of Eritrean students who qualified for higher education also came from Eritrea and other provinces includes Addis Ababa students like Professor Mesfin Araya.

Within a decade, Eritrea had a sizable intelligentsia with intermediate education. After graduating from university and institutions of higher education in Ethiopia, they had a good opportunity for Scholarship to pursue their studies abroad , one of those student was who got this opportunity was Abraham Ghebreghiorgis (MIT) won Fulbright Scholarship and was accepted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Abraham earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1973 from MIT.

Other successful Not only this but also those bright students who stop their study at fourth grade during the Italian colony, got a good opportunetley to become paraprofessional and professional. Example Mr. Tesfamariam Yohannes Woldemichael

Mr. Tesfamariam Yohannes Woldemichael was born on September 27, 1935, in Segeneiti, after completing his elementary education in Segeneiti, he was among the first batch of Eritrean students allowed to go beyond the 4th grade, which was the limit imposed by Italian Colonialism. He attended BietGergish in Asmera and completed middle school there. in the late 1940s he completed teachers training and started working as a teacher in both Asmera and Segeneiti. After working for 6 years as a teacher, Mr. Tesfamariam Yohannes joined Ethiopian Airlines in 1956 and worked in Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia) in various capacities, and as District Manager in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), and Accra (Ghana). In September 1977, Mr. Tesfamariam Yohannes moved to the United States of America with his family and worked for Pan American and Delta Airlines until his retirement in 2008.

In the 1960s and 1970s most educated Eritreans secured better jobs in the private and public sectors in Addis Ababa, Asmara and other towns. Many modern organisations employed a disproportionate number of Eritreans in jobs such as the Ethiopian Airlines, Telecommunications, Ethiopia Electric Light Power and Authority (EELPA), Air Force, banks, hospitals, and other public health sectors. 

[Back to the Table of contents]-------- [NEXT PAGE]