To
intellectually debate Ethiopia’s history, one must first accept the
contributions of all Ethiopians. To dispute past achievements or legacy of events
or particular individuals, one must not begin with “state of mind” of the personalities
or group involved in that particular time. Questions of un-witnessed history,
most of the time, if not always, lead to answers with more intriguing
questions. When questioning the recent history of Ethiopia and Ethiopians,
there are a few generalizations, which can also be backed by statistics, making
theme events whispered in kitchens and backed with figures. Aside from the
usual famine and poverty, there is one element of Ethiopia’s downturn our
intellectuals view lightly or have chosen not to highlight in the conversation
of economics and the actions of the current administration: Education.
An
educated workforce is an unequivocal component of social and economical progression—a strong collective that will study,
invent, create, build, innovate and give back to the system. Unemployment and
political oppression are two of the many reasons that the world’s poorest
nations are currently losing their youngest and brightest. Ethiopia again is a leader
in the category of “losing a national resource”. Brain drain is detrimental to the progress of any nation; however, if
the education within the country is devalued rapidly, there we have a recipe
for social disaster, slow communal downfall and meager nation building.
Human capital
is essential to a competitive economy and the overall health of nation. According
to a 2009 report by EstandardsForm, in Ethiopia, only 22% of children who begin the first grade complete
the eighth grade. Together with a literacy rate of 35.9% for those who are 15
years of age or older, Ethiopia has a school life expectancy of 7.6 years,
lower than the regional average of 8.6 years [1]. The same year, a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum addressed the ability of 31 African countries to provide quality
higher education and training for its citizens to compete globally. Ethiopia
ranked a dismal 26th on the African index and 126th on
the world ranking [2]. In a nation where high-achieving university graduates
are being instructed to teach the following year, with the consequence of being
unable to go further in their academic careers, it is fair to assume that
education-devaluation is a matter of urgency.
The
Multidimensional Poverty Index, the new measure of the U.N.’s Human Development
Report, has Ethiopia as the second poorest country in the world, with 90% of
its people living in poverty, 39% living on as little as $1.25 a day and 61.5%
deprived of adequate schooling [3]. Although, undoubtedly, the causes may be
multifaceted, there is unquestionably a root cause of the poverty that has
haunted us for several decades.Ask your self. If a person is identified
as living in poverty, where do his or her historical and social records play a part?
Where are the current influential forces working to improve the quality of
education?Impacting this specific
effect? How important is Human Capital?
Ethiopia
continues to be Africa’s leading recipient of foreign aid, but has not
experienced the social or economic growth such aid is meant to stimulate. Continued rise in living costs without
insufficient visible economic growth is a recipe for poverty. We must point to
those who have the potential to change the status quo. The current regime will
continue to execute the same politically motivated social policies, which have
sustained slow growth, rapid under-development and an exodus of the educated
population—a development strategy they have copied or were instructed by a
donor to implement. The educated elites within the administration continue to implement
social programs based on individual political stature or personal gain. Not all
of them, but those who knowingly betray their morals are the reason why
“international development” by Western nations has succeeded in under-developing
nations like Ethiopia. The “one size fits all” scheme only works on those who
choose to follow and not question.
Ethiopia
is a leader in exporting qualified professionals. In 2007, allafrica.com
reported an alarming statistic presented at a national symposium on Ethiopian Diasporas,
namely that Ethiopia had lost 75% of its skilled works in the previous 10
years. One-third of doctors had also fled the country within that time [4].
Today, mass exodus by the educated continues to be a problem as those returning
to the country are only a small portion of those who continue to leave. Inadequate
educational procedures and brain drain
of previous generations should worry anyone who has a say or would like to be
in the conversation of national development and the “nation as a state”.
Concept of the “Nation State”
The
relationship between the government and the public must be questioned when the
nation’s ability to exist independently is in question. The responsibilities of
the governing body to the sovereignty of the state and to its citizens, along
with the legitimacy of the individuals in power, must be questioned. A European-philosophized
and African-duplicated political process continues to be the main cause of
Africa’s downfall. No greater example exists than Ethiopia, whose current
administration continues to export young woman to be maids in the Middle East,
arresting anyone who opposes this action or offers a differing opinion on
national topics, thereby creating a prison state for anyone who thinks or
speaks differently. If there was an all-inclusive, free, democratic and progressive
political system, would the current state of the nation change? How does a
nation or community evolve into a freethinking and open society?
Education, Not Indoctrination
Aside
from the ideals of the “developmental state,” where are the rule of law, human
rights and democracy in Ethiopia? Democracy will continue to benefit tyrants if the masses being oppressed do not
understand the benefit of a free and self-governing society. Race and cultural
(ethnic) differences are the tools of the established political, financial
elite and anyone who is able to influence national conversation. The regime
continues to enforce politics, economics and education with a centralized
agenda to indoctrinate citizens with their own principles, which has been
responsible for the lack of transparency in politics, unstable growth
economically and lack of satisfactory education at all levels.
We must
act quickly! Education should not be an indoctrination tool for self-serving
bureaucrats, but a cornerstone of a sovereign nation. If we all share the
ideals of a free society, then let us begin with educating those who have been
deprived of basic information. Social change lies in the cooperation of the collective
and not the secluded ideals of a few. The current administration’s closed-door
policy on national concerns will continue to hinder the future of the country.
It is only the unity of the educated Diaspora—their coming together to discuss
and debate—that will reignite the love of nation, both in those in Ethiopia and
in Ethiopians around the world.
We Will Not Be Free Until We Free
Our Minds!
Centralized
economics has been the policy of all previous administrations as well as the
current regime. But this is a nation of millions, not a dictatorial playground
for a few. We must understand and respect that it is only with the
contributions of all citizens that we can change as a nation. A sovereign
nation requires all who are invested in the state to be given the same rights, so
the “nation state” will remain united. Differences aside, there are pressing
issues that will force us to unite under duress if we do not begin to wake up and
unite ourselves, on our own terms. When people’s freedoms and sovereignty are
stripped away and governing bodies are unable to feed them or meet their basic
needs, history has shown us that people turn to violence to get back what was
taken from them.
“One of the penalties of refusing to participate in
politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato
Ominous
governance and unethical practices in politics have been a leading cause for
the brain drain and disastrous
educational system. It is understandable for anyone not to get involved in
politics, but it is weak to stand by and watch injustice, using politics as an
excuse not to speak up for change. There is a direct connection between
suppressive governance, lackluster economy and inadequate education. When the
educated fail to act, the status quo remains. The need for an immediate action
is not simply about politics, but the survival of a nation.
Free Market of Ideas and
Innovation
The
educational elite in the developed nations are the architects of the systems to
destabilize the growth of developing nations through systematic social tools
like debt, aid and international development plans (“one size fits all”, “poor
Africans” model of subjugation). We must construct from within, build using our
resources and our own innovate minds and give back to the system. We are living
in the West, helping to strengthen their nations. What is it we lack to rebuild
our own? UNITY. We have simplified unity to a simple victory of wars against invaders,
but our forefathers left us much more than stories when they came together to
defeat great odds.
Political, Social and Economic
Development
Not
every problem requires money, nor does it require a complete shift in politics.
However, our current issues do require certain political resolutions going
forward. Without directly implementing other structures, we can infuse the
ideals of democracy with the realities of our nation. Our future political
system must not be about the ideals of a few; rather, let us try to build our own
system of governance with:
· a “Legislative Branch of High Governors” to
produce and put into affect national laws,
constructed by the representatives of the people (all the people).
· an “Executive
Branch of policy and institution governors” to lead the nation and its specific
branches, such as foreign affairs, defense, treasury, interior, agriculture,
commerce, energy, education, etc., and
· a “Judicial
Branch, which will hold all citizens to the same standards, regardless of
ethnicity, or social stature” and will look at the actions of all political
leaders, the average individual and millionaires, regardless of affiliation, in
the best interest of the nation under the laws of the state.
We must have
a constitutional government with accountability/transparency enforced by
the rules of the state for all political representatives. Fiscal responsibility and a free
market must be part of the economic agenda. Unquestionably, media freedom has to be the adhesive
between the actions of politicians and all citizens. Transparency, legitimacy
and accountability have to become law to protect all citizens, regardless of
sub-ethnic background, for the betterment of the nation.
The Educated Workforce
An
educated workforce will better the nation as a whole. A functioning economy
requires this force for sustainable development. National issues require an
educated force to discuss national projects from a variety of viewpoints,
enriching the outcome. Education is an investment for the future, which will
continue progress made by previous generations toward a prosperous nation. An
educated society is attractive for foreign investments. Currently, Ethiopia’s infrastructure
is being blueprinted and constructed by foreign corporations. Ask yourself, is
Ethiopia truly building a self-sustaining economy?
We must act immediately! GET INVOLVED! GET
INVOLVED! DO YOUR PART!
“Where have all my children gone?” she
asks. “If they are far, do they remember
me?” she wonders. “After I gave them
all I had, will they return to look back at the younger generation?” she
ponders. Oh dearest Ethiopia, where have your children gone?
