Ethiopia lessons in repression: violations of academic problems, HRW
Ethiopia lessons in repression: violations of academic problems, HRW
Ethiopia lessons in repression: violations of academic problems, HRW
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Addis Ababa wrote letters to the old ETA compla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g that the government representatives had spent hours<br />
berat<strong>in</strong>g them for belong<strong>in</strong>g to the association <strong>of</strong> their choice. Teachers <strong>in</strong> Hossana said that, when they refused<br />
to be swayed, the government delegate essentially threatened them, conclud<strong>in</strong>g the discussion by say<strong>in</strong>g, “we will<br />
meet aga<strong>in</strong>.” 179 The government delegates took the occasion <strong>of</strong> these teachers’ workshops <strong>in</strong> some places to<br />
announce that school districts would soon lay <strong>of</strong>f teachers, twelve teachers <strong>in</strong> Alertu district <strong>of</strong> Oromia and 15<br />
percent <strong>of</strong> teachers <strong>in</strong> Sendafa, and <strong>in</strong>s<strong>in</strong>uated that those who cross the government would be at risk. A teacher at<br />
Sendafa, who has already been arrested, threatened, and transferred away from his family over the past five years,<br />
said that dur<strong>in</strong>g the workshop he attended district <strong>of</strong>ficials warned him yet aga<strong>in</strong> to stop work<strong>in</strong>g for the old ETA.<br />
“It is a pr<strong>of</strong>essional association, not a political party,” he compla<strong>in</strong>ed. “But I don’t know what will happen <strong>in</strong> the<br />
future. There is a risk that a civil servant can lose his job for oppos<strong>in</strong>g education policy. In the [mandatory<br />
government workshop] they said that all civil servants are employed at the will <strong>of</strong> the government and the rul<strong>in</strong>g<br />
party.” 180 Fasil Eshetu, a former teacher, enumerated the means he had seen the government use to harass teachers,<br />
<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g himself, who criticize government policy:<br />
Teachers are expected to applaud . . . everyth<strong>in</strong>g the EPRDF says <strong>in</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>gs, follow the EPRDF<br />
l<strong>in</strong>e, or else they will be blacklisted. To be blacklisted <strong>in</strong>cludes not gett<strong>in</strong>g promoted, not gett<strong>in</strong>g<br />
a salary <strong>in</strong>crease, be<strong>in</strong>g transferred to remote areas, be<strong>in</strong>g transferred away from your family,<br />
hav<strong>in</strong>g your salary docked, los<strong>in</strong>g your hous<strong>in</strong>g, gett<strong>in</strong>g fired, and even be<strong>in</strong>g excluded from<br />
social events like wedd<strong>in</strong>gs. 181<br />
A teacher <strong>in</strong> Addis Ababa told Human Rights Watch that he has been a victim <strong>of</strong> similar government<br />
harassment on and <strong>of</strong>f for the twenty-eight years he has been teach<strong>in</strong>g. Most recently, he was denied an annual<br />
salary <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> 2002. 182 A teacher from Konso <strong>in</strong> the southern region made a similar compla<strong>in</strong>t to ETA. He<br />
has been transferred from school to school, denied salary, and threatened over the past four years. Civil service<br />
<strong>of</strong>ficials tried to force him to resign <strong>in</strong> 2002. 183 Both teachers believe they are be<strong>in</strong>g punished for criticiz<strong>in</strong>g<br />
aspects <strong>of</strong> government education policy. One <strong>of</strong> their major compla<strong>in</strong>ts is that students must now take an exam<br />
after tenth grade to determ<strong>in</strong>e whether they can cont<strong>in</strong>ue on an <strong>academic</strong> track or will be relegated to as yet<br />
undeveloped vocational tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g programs. They and many other teachers are also concerned that classes, many<br />
<strong>of</strong> which are already much larger than the regulation fifty students per class, are slated to become larger still. The<br />
Addis Ababa based teacher said he has seen reports <strong>of</strong> many more teachers be<strong>in</strong>g arrested <strong>in</strong> rural areas than <strong>in</strong> the<br />
capital. He has not been arrested. 184<br />
Teachers <strong>in</strong> Sendafa said high school students were also predictably angry about the tenth grade<br />
exam<strong>in</strong>ation that was now to determ<strong>in</strong>e who could cont<strong>in</strong>ue on to twelfth grade and thus to tertiary education.<br />
One teacher estimated that only some 10 percent had passed the test <strong>in</strong> 2001. He and the other teachers said that<br />
students and teachers alike had only “mumbled” their criticism <strong>of</strong> the policy. “We can’t compla<strong>in</strong> publicly or we<br />
will be arrested,” he said. “The students are afraid <strong>of</strong> such th<strong>in</strong>gs. Not only the students. We teachers, too.” 185<br />
Teachers <strong>in</strong>terviewed for this report said they were especially frustrated that the government had not<br />
consulted them <strong>in</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g education policies. But they are afraid to criticize too openly as others paid a heavy<br />
price for such criticism <strong>in</strong> the past, such as when the government mandated that the language <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>struction would<br />
be the major language <strong>of</strong> each regional state rather than Amharic. 186 ETA documented that some 6,700 teachers<br />
179 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, Addis Ababa, July 25, 2002.<br />
180 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terviews, Addis Ababa and Sendafa, July 25 and 30, 2002.<br />
181 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, Nairobi, July 10, 2002.<br />
182 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, Addis Ababa, July 20, 2002.<br />
183 Letter dated June 18, 2002 (<strong>in</strong> Amharic).<br />
184 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, Addis Ababa, July 20, 2002.<br />
185 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, July 30, 2002.<br />
186 Human Rights Watch <strong>in</strong>terview, Addis Ababa, July 18, 2002.<br />
Human Rights Watch<br />
34<br />
January 2003, Vol. 15,No. 2 (A)