Reviving Education in Tigray: A Path to Recovery and Resilience
By: Daniel Mekonnen Yilma
Executive Summary
The Tigray region of Ethiopia is grappling with a profound educational crisis resulting from the compounded effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating conflict that has spanned two years. The education system has faced near-collapse due to prolonged disruptions. The Pretoria Peace Agreement, signed in November 2022, offers a critical opportunity to address these challenges and restore educational services. However, despite this peace agreement, significant issues remain that hinders the return to normalcy in education.
The purpose of this policy brief is to present a comprehensive analysis of the current state of education in Tigray, highlighting the severe impacts of the conflict and the pandemic, with the intention of informing and influencing the action of civil societies, NGOs and IGOs working in the education sector and regional and federal government officials. The data reveals that a substantial portion of students remains out of school, and many schools are either severely damaged or occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs). The recommendations outlined herein aim to restore and improve the education system, focusing on infrastructure repair, provision of scholastic materials, support for Accelerated Learning Programs (ALP), and addressing security and human resource challenges.
Key points
- Severe Educational Disruption: The Tigray region’s education system has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating two-year conflict, leading to extensive damage to school infrastructure and significant drops in student enrollment.
- Low Student Enrollment: Only 40% of the targeted students were enrolled in the 2023/24 academic year, leaving 1,487,600 students, including 729,267 girls, out of school. The Central and North Western zones are particularly affected by high rates of out-of-school children.
- Widespread Infrastructure Damage: The conflict has resulted in extensive damage to educational infrastructure, with 74.9% of schools partially damaged and 19.1% completely destroyed. Many students are forced to learn in temporary or unsafe conditions, severely impairing their educational experience.
- Teacher and Human Resource Shortages: The region faces a critical shortage of teachers, with 16.1% (2,434) more teachers needed. The conflict has also left many teachers demotivated due to prolonged unpaid salaries, further exacerbating the educational crisis.
- Psychological Trauma: The war has caused widespread psychological trauma among students and teachers, with significant learning loss and evidence of substantial psychological distress, including high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among teachers.
- School Feeding Programs as a Solution: School feeding programs are identified as a critical intervention to mitigate the effects of drought and famine, enhance students’ ability to attend school, improve their health and concentration, and incentivize parents to send their children to school.
- Crowd-funding as a Strategic Policy Option: Crowd-funding is proposed as an innovative mechanism for raising funds for school feeding programs, engaging NGOs, IGOs, the private sector, and the diaspora to expand and sustain these initiatives effectively.
- Increased Focus on Female Students: The educational crisis disproportionately affects female students, necessitating targeted interventions to address their specific needs and challenges, particularly in the aftermath of the conflict.
- Need for Comprehensive Psychosocial Support: Comprehensive psychosocial support for both students and teachers is essential to address the widespread trauma, reduce learning loss, and promote mental well-being, which are critical for restoring the education system in Tigray.
- Call for Collaborative Efforts: The policy brief emphasizes the need for collaborative efforts among various stakeholders, including the government, NGOs, international organizations, and the private sector, to rebuild the education system in Tigray and ensure long-term resilience and sustainability.
Full Policy Brief: https://initiativeafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Policy-Brief-Final-4.pdf
Farewell to Sovereignty: The National Bank of Ethiopia Slips Away
By Kebour Ghenna
The first warning to the Government of Ethiopia came straight from the IMF: Shape up, or you’re not getting a dime!
Whether this government thinks it’s outsmarting the IMF or simply doesn’t understand who it’s dealing with, last week’s developments suggest we’re in for a surprise.
Dear Readers, buckle up—we’re about to delve into what the IMF-imposed changes could mean for Ethiopia’s economic future. On the surface, the requirements to overhaul the governance of the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), enhance decision-making structures, and improve transparency and accountability sound beneficial. But the reality is far more complex. Implementing these reforms without careful adaptation to Ethiopia’s unique context could lead to instability rather than progress.
The pressure to align Ethiopia’s financial governance with international standards might force the country to adopt policies that don’t fully address its local challenges. Now, let’s talk about “external control.” Imagine this: You’re the captain of a ship (Ethiopia), and suddenly, someone else (the IMF) grabs the wheel. They assure you it’s for your own good, but there’s a good chance they don’t know these waters as well as you do. Sure, they might help avoid a few rocks, but what if they steer you straight into a storm? By handing over control of its National Bank, Ethiopia risks losing its ability to navigate its own economic challenges. Instead of solving Ethiopia’s problems, these one-size-fits-all solutions could exacerbate them. The risks of disrupting existing financial systems and creating new problems are real and demand serious consideration.
Why does the IMF insist on making the NBE independent? The obvious reason: it wants to control it.
How else do you explain the fact that the NBE is now required to submit comprehensive draft legal amendments to the Ethiopian Parliament… in consultation with IMF… and by December 2024!!
Yes, Dear Readers, we are about to hand over control of one of the most important institutions in the country—the NBE—to the IMF. Once this monetary law act is passed, the NBE, the key economic institution, becomes “independent,” giving it the power to make or break any government with its monetary policies. No one will have the right to interfere with its decisions. Citizens can elect whoever they want, but they will no longer have control over their country.
And trust me, once the NBE becomes independent, who do you think will control it? Not the people of Ethiopia, not even the wealthy elites of Ethiopia. It’s going to be the global elites who will pull the strings of our economy through the central bank.
Maybe I’m paranoid, but I see danger ahead.
Original source: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7231297338378457090/
