[dehai-news] Shaebia.org: TERTIARY EDUCATION IN ERITREA ISSUES, POLICIES, AND CHALLENGES (PART I and II)

From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Wed Sep 13 2006 - 17:47:38 EDT

TERTIARY EDUCATION IN ERITREA ISSUES, POLICIES, AND CHALLENGES (PART I and II)The Office of Public Relations, Ministry of EducTERTIARY EDUCATION IN ERITREA ISSUES, POLICIES, AND CHALLENGES (PART I and II)
      The Office of Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Sep 12, 2006
      
     

Eritrea places strong emphasis on education. The Macro Policy of Eritrea states, among other things, that in the long term, Eritrea will be producing "knowledge intensive" goods and services able to penetrate the world market. The emphasis on education is also reflected on the government's policy on poverty eradication. The statistical figures may also speak for themselves. At the time of independence, the total number of students at all levels was about 200,000. Today, the corresponding figure is close to 700,000. In just 15 years, the figure has more than tripled. In this note, an attempt is made to give an overview of education in Eritrea with emphasis on the evolving patterns of tertiary education after independence. First, historical developments of education in Eritrea before liberation, and the re-establishment of the education system after liberation are considered. The results of the assessments made on the re-established system and the reforms proposed for improving the education system, together with important issues and policies are then presented. Finally, the implementation of the proposed reforms pertinent to tertiary education and the corresponding challenges that are being faced are considered. The treatment is by no means exhaustive or rigorous and the interested reader is encouraged to refer to the appropriate source documents for more details. We start with the historical background.

Before attaining the current state, the Eritrean education system has seen numerous ups and downs. Modern educational system was introduced into Eritrea by the Italians during the Italian colonial period. At that time, the government schools were preparing Eritreans for lower levels of civil service, and the level of formal education for Eritreans in government schools was that of elementary school. The geographical coverage was limited and was only accessible to very few students.

Accessibility increased significantly during the period of British Administration and the level also rose to that of middle school in many places. High schools begun to show up in the fifties, and during this period of time, the Eritrean education system witnessed a relatively high level of interest of Eritreans in education. The education system was administered by Eritreans, and at least at the elementary level, the language of instruction was in Eritrean languages.

The development of the Eritrean educational system of the fifties was short lived. Soon, this was replaced by the Ethiopian education system after Ethiopia illegally annexed Eritrea into its empire. The medium of instruction at the early years of schooling was made Amharic and this language was also made a compulsory course up to the end of high school. Despite its church and missionary origins, the Santa Famiglia school (later to become the University of Asmara) was eventually totally absorbed into the Ethiopian higher education system with much of its enrollment being Ethiopian students from outside of Eritrea assigned to study in the University by the higher education commission in Addis Ababa.

In general, education at all levels in Eritrea was heavily damaged and left a lot to be desired during the Ethiopian colonial period. The Ethiopian colonial period has left an indelible mark on the education system of Eritrea. At the time of the total independence of Eritrea, most of the teachers were products of the Ethiopian education system, and experience, precedence and work or professional habits of the majority of both teachers and students were founded in the Ethiopian education system. In the early nineties the Eritrean government could make only limited changes to the then existing educational system. Changes based on the educational experience of the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front (EPLF), and consistent with the aims and principles of the liberation movement, were indeed very limited. There was neither the time nor the resources to do more than what was done.

The task of re-establishing an Eritrean educational system by the new Eritrean government at the beginning of the nineties was thus daunting. The fact that much of the spirit of the Eritrean education system of the fifties has survived within the liberation movement was an asset. In some respects, the educational system of the fifties was developed further within the liberation movement and using this educational experience of the liberation movement as a base to varying extent a new educational system was established in the early nineties. Much has been done from the early nineties up to the present. Notably, elementary school education in all the nine Eritrean languages has been developed and implemented. The spread of elementary school and middle school education and to some extent high school level education has increased significantly.

Despite the positive developments mentioned above, it was clear from the beginning that at some time, the Eritrean education system that was re-established after independence, and which still had a heavy dose of the Ethiopian education system, had to be critically evaluated. This was done in 2002 and some of the major shortcomings of the system were identified as follows:

(i) Access to education was still low. The country wide statistics showed that: elementary school enrollment rate for elementary school age children for academic year 1999/2000, for example, stood at about 38%; for middle school age children at about 11%, and for high school age children it stood at about 9%.

(ii) Access to higher education was much worse. Only undergraduate education was possible. Even for this, only a very small percent of those who might wish to have higher education got any chance and often not in the field of their choice.

(iii) The products of the education system at all levels, elementary school, middle school, and high school were not prepared well for employment. This was a perennial complaint of employers.

(iv) Not only was access to education very low at all levels, but also the education system was very wasteful. Much resources and efforts were spent to produce people who will end up as "high school graduates" with no employment opportunities or any chance of continuing with university level education.

To overcome these serious shortcomings, the government of Eritrea has embarked on major reforms on the educational system. The details of the reforms are given in the government's concept paper of 2002. The reforms are consistent with the general government's policy on education with regards to access, equity, relevance and quality. More specifically, the reforms are expected to achieve the following:

(i) All wastage of manpower, resources, efforts and time in the education system must be minimized in as much as it is humanly possible.

(ii) Opportunities must be open to Eritreans of all ages to develop to their full potential, both professionally and personally.

(iii) In as much as it is feasible, education must be employment oriented such that at the end of any level of education, any person can find gainful employment opportunities commensurate with the person's level of education or training.

(iv) In this era of globalization, the standards and quality of education and training in the education system must be high enough such that products of the system would be competitive both locally and globally.

Before considering the modalities of implementation of the reforms, it is useful to emphasize that some factors need special attention in the implementation process. These are given next.

(i) The government of Eritrea perceives education as a fundamental human right and a lifelong process by which all individuals are given opportunities to attain their potential as all rounded citizens. Accordingly, education must be accessible to all the citizens of Eritrea in an equitable manner. This and other aspects of education are clearly stated in the government's National Educational Policy of 2003. All aspects of the implementation of the reform must be consistent with this important government policy.

(ii) Education is also perceived as part of the overall effort done by the people and government of Eritrea in the nation building and development process and forms an integral part of countrywide activities. More specifically the reforms must be compatible with the overall development programs of the country. They must also be coherent with the commitments of the country with respect to the Education for All, Millennium Development Goals, poverty eradication efforts, and other similar commitments.

(iii) Due to the big efforts made after liberation to expand access to education, enrollment at all levels is increasing dramatically. The average annual enrollment rate at the 12th grade level for the next several years for example is about 20%. As an example, the number of students who sat for the Eritrean Secondary Education Certificate Examination for the 2005/06 academic year was about 10,000. According to the forecast of the Ministry of Education, this figure is expected to grow to about 50,000 for the 2014/15 academic year. This is in contrast to the 3% annual population growth. Accordingly, it can be said that we are indeed witnessing the explosion of education in Eritrea. Although this is good news for education in Eritrea, nevertheless, the implementation of the reform must take into account this phenomenal growth in education and must include modalities of coping with this otherwise positive development.

(iv) Finally, Eritrea is now engaged in the Warsay Yikalo Development campaign, where scarce resources have to be allocated in the most effective way. Accordingly, investments in education must compete with other development and infrastructure investments.

As the current note is emphasizing on tertiary education, it would be appropriate to consider those aspects that are relevant to the tertiary level. A closer look at the countries which have succeeded in improving the well-being, social cohesion and social solidarity of their citizens through economic development efforts shows that these countries have invested heavily and consistently on higher education. Investment in higher education makes a lot of sense when one considers the role that higher education plays in this age of globalization, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and knowledge based societies.

In Eritrea, the government's perception of tertiary education is that which provides the high level professionals and skilled manpower needed for a modern, strong and economically sustainable Eritrea. Consequently, tertiary institutions will maintain international standards so that they will produce the required human capacity in terms of quality and quantity. Moreover, higher institutions will be places where citizens acquire the necessary skills and developments of science and technology and ICT. Furthermore, tertiary education institutions will become research centers where high-level studies will be conducted for the betterment of the socio-economic status of the country.

To be continued .

© Copyright 2001-2005 Shaebia.org

      TERTIARY EDUCATION IN ERITREA ISSUES, POLICIES, AND CHALLENGES (PART II)
      The Office of Public Relations, Ministry of Education, Sep 13, 2006
      
     

One of the main issues (in tertiary education) was, and remains to be, access to university education. To make matters simple, we consider enrollment at the 12th grade level. Of those who attend this grade, some may continue to university level either to pursue diploma or degree programs. Some may also join skill development centers and attend certificate programs. The rest may join the labor force directly. For the purpose of this note, access to tertiary/university level education (in percentage) is defined as the ratio of the number of students who continue tertiary education to pursue diploma and degree programs to the corresponding 12th grade enrollment (times one hundred).

In the past, access to university level education was indeed very low. Of those who attend the Eritrean Secondary Education Certificate Examination, for example, only between 10% - 15% managed to have access to university education. This has been a serious problem and had ramifications even at the high school level (it can be said that most of the high school students knew that they are unlikely to make it to the university and usually got disinterested in their studies). The most rational way of increasing access to university education is to increase university level facilities. As the reforms are required to be consistent with the educational policy of the country, the government adopted a strategy of decentralizing the tertiary education system. Accordingly, the decision was made to establish various colleges at different locations of the country.

In line with this, eight new Colleges, offering university level programs (diploma and Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree) started to be established commencing from the 2003/4 academic year. The first one to be established was the Eritrea Institute of Technology (EIT) located at Mai Nefhi. The EIT has three colleges, which are the colleges of Education, Engineering and Technology, and Science. The other new colleges are, the college of Agriculture in Hamelmalo (near Keren), the college of Health Sciences and the Orota School of Medicine in Asmara, the college of Marine Sciences and Technology in Hirgigo (near Massawa), the college of Arts and Social Sciences to be located in Adi Kieh, and the college of Business and Economics to be located in Massawa. During the 2005/6 academic year, the programs that are being offered by the various colleges are given next.

            College of Engineering and Technology:

            Degree Programs

- Aeronautical engineering

- Civil engineering

- Computer engineering

- Electrical/electronics engineering

- Mechanical engineering

- Chemical engineering

Diploma Programs

- Aircraft technology

- Computer technology

- Construction technology

- Surveying and drafting

- Electrical technology

- Electronics technology

- Communications technology

- Industrial technology

- Automobile technology

- Chemical technology

College of Science:

Degree Programs

- Biology

- Chemistry

- Computer science

- Mathematics

- Physics

Diploma Program

- Computer applications

College of Arts and Social Sciences:

Degree Programs

- English

- Geography

- History

Diploma Programs

- Journalism and mass communications

- Fine arts

College of Education:

Degree Program

- Educational psychology

Diploma Programs

- Science education

- Social science education

- Business education

- English language education

- Physical education

College of Marine Sciences and Technology:
Degree Programs

- Applied Marine & Fisheries Science

- Marine Biotechnology

- Marine Engineering

Diploma Programs

- Applied Marine & Fisheries Science

- Marine Biotechnology

- Marine Engineering

College of Business and Economics:
Degree Programs

- Accounting

- Economics

- Business Administration

- Finance

- Management

- Marketing

Diploma Programs

- Accounting

- Banking and Finance

- Management

- Secretarial services

Orotal school of medicine

Degree Program

- Medical doctor (MD)

College of Health Sciences:

Degree Programs

- Pharmacy

- Clinical laboratory science

- Health science

- Nursing

Diploma Programs

- Generic nursing

- Public health Technician

- Pharmacy technician

- Clinical laboratory technician

- Radiology technician

- Dental therapist

College of Agriculture:
Degree Programs
- Crop Production

- Plant Protection

- Horticulture

- Animal Science

- Agricultural Engineering

Diploma programs
- Crop Production

- Plant Protection

- Horticulture

- Animal Science

- Animal Health Assistant

- Agricultural Engineering

In summary, the number of degree and diploma programs that are offered by the colleges is given in table 1 (for reference purposes, the corresponding numbers for the University of Asmara (UoA) is also included). Dramatic increase in the diploma programs in the colleges is noted. In terms of student population, at its peak the UoA had a student population of about 6,000, while the current total number of students at the tertiary level is about 12,000. In just a period of four years, the student population has doubled.

Table 1. Degree (DG) and Diploma (DP) programs of the various colleges and that of the UoA.

Institution DG DP

EIT 12 16

Marine Sci. 3 3

Business & Econ. 6 4

Agricult. 5 6

Health Sci. 5 7

Arts & Social Sci. 3 2

            TOTAL 34 38

UoA 30 3

With the opening of the new colleges, access to tertiary education has increased to about 45%. This is in contrast to the corresponding figure of 10% - 15% before the opening of the colleges.

In due course, the newly established higher education institutions are expected to add more colleges and will evolve to become full-fledged universities able to offer the services that the country needs. Accordingly, the current phase of establishment should proceed to the phases of consolidation and growth. For this to happen appropriately, a significant amount of human and material resources are required. Some of the disciplines, particularly those in the sciences and engineering and technology, require extensive laboratory and workshop facilities with appropriately trained personnel to operate them. These commodities, together with the buildings required to house them, are really quite expensive. And above all, the newly established higher education institutions require highly qualified Eritrean core staff to lead and build the various programs (the lack of high-level Eritrean staff was, for example, one of the main problems faced by the EIT). Faced with this formidable problem, the government opted to re-allocate the existing resources at the disposal of some higher education institutions. It is useful to emphasize here that the recent re-allocation of the resources of the University of Asmara to the various newly established higher education institutions should be viewed in this context (see the government's directive on the re-allocation of resources of the University of Asmara of August 2006 for more details).

Needless to say, the full and sustained support of the government and the general public is required in order that the newly established higher education institutions flourish appropriately. This is indeed the challenge of our time. It is important to mention here that the government and the general public have the supportive role (the government has particularly the responsibility of maintaining a conducive atmosphere). On the other hand, the main players here are the Eritrean educators and scholars who have special responsibility in this very important national effort. They must deploy all their resources, talents, imaginations, and above all, the goodwill and hard work that is necessary for the success of this undertaking.

We would like to conclude this note by considering two points that may help to clarify some aspects of the challenges facing tertiary education in Eritrea. These are given next.

1. In order to appreciate better the challenges facing tertiary education in Eritrea, it becomes useful to see the enrollment patterns at the 12th grade level and also the corresponding enrollments at the tertiary level. The Ministry of Education has prepared forecasts for the next 10 years for the 12th grade level. If the current levels of access are maintained, then assuming even a lower figure of 40% (15% degree and 25% diploma) access rate to tertiary education, the picture looks like that shown in table 2. To obtain the estimates of the total student population at the tertiary education institutions, degree programs are assumed to have durations of 4 to 5 years while the corresponding figures for the diploma programs are assumed to be 2 to 3 years.

Table 2. Forecast of student enrollment at the 12th grade level and at tertiary institutions.

      Academic year
     Students enrolled in the 12th grade
     Students accepted for tertiary education
     Total number of students attending tertiary education
     
      2006/2007
     21,700
     5,400
     16,700
     
      2007/2008
     22,600
     8,700
     21,400
     
      2008/2009
     24,900
     9,000
     25,300
     
      2009/2010
     27,900
     10,000
     28,800
     
      2010/2011
     31,400
     11,200
     32,400
     
      2011/2012
     35,600
     12,600
     36,400
     
      2012/2013
     40,400
     14,200
     41,100
     
      2013/2014
     45,200
     16,200
     46,400
     
      2014/2015
     49,900
     18,100
     52,400
     

How long can this trend of very high rate of tertiary education growth continue? To appreciate the relevance of this question, it becomes useful to compare tertiary level enrolment in Eritrea with other countries. Table 3 gives the relevant details. Here, the number of tertiary level students for every 100,000 of the population of selected countries are given. It is clear that Eritrea has a lot to do to come closer to those who are leading.

Table 3. National contextual data and enrolment ratios, 2002-03 or most recent year available.

      Countries
     Students/100,000 of the population
     UN population esti-mate in 2002
     Human Development Index score (2004)
     
      Chad
     69
     8,598,000
     0.379
     
      Democratic Congo
     114
     52,771,000
     0.365
     
      Djibouti
     104
     703,000
     0.454
     
      Eritrea
     133*
     4,141,000
     0.439
     
      Egypt
     3,402
     71,931,000
     0.653
     
      Libya
     6,470
     5,551,000
     0.794
     
      Republic of Korea
     6,562
     47,700,000
     0.888
     
      United Kingdom
     3,489
     59,251,000
     0.936
     
      United States
     5,417
     294,043,000
     0.939
     

* The current figure for Eritrea stands at about 270.

Note that in order to appropriately interpret and make meaningful comparisons, it becomes necessary to take into account the fact that developing countries are characterized by a high percentage of younger population.

2. When one considers the labor force distribution in Eritrea, it is estimated that about 80% of the population is engaged in subsistence farming. When it is known that the segment of the population engaged in agriculture is not able to feed itself, and when it is also known that in the developed countries, some of which are net exporters of food, the segment of the population engaged in agriculture is about 5%, it becomes clear that in effect about 75% of the Eritrean population is not producing. This is indeed a very serious problem. On the other hand, the segment of the Eritrean population engaged in agriculture is there, not by choice, but because it is unable to do anything else mainly due to lack of education and training.

One of the challenges facing development efforts in Eritrea is the low productivity of the total labor force (including those engaged in subsistence farming). This can only improve through education and tertiary education has a big role to play. In fact, the economically developed societies of today, characterized by globalization and widespread knowledge based activities, require a critical mass of people with solid higher education. It is known, for example, that in the highly developed countries of Europe, about 40% of the population are engaged in sectors that require high standards of knowledge that can only be obtained through university education.

In summary, education in Eritrea has seen several challenges before attaining its present status. The Italians, the British and the Ethiopians have left their respective marks. The extensive educational reforms currently taking place at all levels is aimed at structuring education to respond to the development needs of the country and to enable Eritrea to participate appropriately in this 21st century characterized by globalization and widespread knowledge based activities. Eritrean educators and scholars have special responsibilities and they should do their best to see that this very important national effort succeeds. They will certainly get the support of the government and the general public.

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