Higher Education

Posted on : May 30, 2019 |post in : |Comments Off on Higher Education |

Education Commentaries

Professional and Alumni Organizations

Ethiopia is forging ahead with lots of things. A number of Ethiopians are getting PhDs  on my side the world. Most trace their lineages to universities and colleges in Ethiopia.  There are also hundreds of well established PhDs. Ethiopia should not have issues in getting her people back to do good for her.  With this in mind , I like to suggest the following

 In diaspora/non-diaspora engagement, resource mobilization directly relate to other structures such as Alumni Associations and Professional Organizations. In my experience the value of these two is always overlooked in Ethiopia.  The alumni associations can be used to engage the diaspora to support their alma matter,   and the professional organizations connect the people according to the professions..  The ministry and interested parties may consider /facilitate the formation of such communities and or strengthen existing ones.  Such community will have its own unique ways prepare the new generation to solve big problems. In modern education enterprise it is the professional organizations that publish research/opinions by their members,  they also take data on demographics related to the field, and lobby policy makers for funding and policy changes
Harvard is Harvard because of its alumni
America is America because of the professional Organizations. Also let’s not forget such structures will empower the student, the teacher and the professional,  they expressions of direct participation in the affairs of the country.

Field Service

FIELD SERVICE as a cushion while you are looking for a job: If my mathematics helps, I estimate that at least 30000 students graduate from government run Ethiopian universities. Let’s say 20000 of them are absorbed by the various businesses and public service sector, and very few of them go to graduate schools. Now we have 10000 graduates with no work. This can happen because there may be over supply of graduates. The supply can be slowed down by creating a field service program that students in their last year of university career will join the labor force in all sectors. The service lasts for one or two years and by the end of the service, they will have good working experience to help them get the jobs they desire or even better they will be guaranteed jobs. Also the government can put incentive,  that every student who signs up for the field service program can have his cost sharing waived.  What do you think ? Will this work ? This idea is not new Ethiopia.  When I was in elementary school, our teachers were university students. I say bring it back. The value of field service is huge. It  promotes cultural understanding  and care.  Here is a blog on the matter

From Analysis to Action

STEM education and STEM culture can not become part of the system of education and cultures of Ethiopia by doing spotty activities for selected few who happen to be around the current STEM centers.  It is like to emptying the oceans by pouring out one cup of water at a time.  Mobile laboratories are not new,  initially they stated as Science on Wheels,  Physics Van, etc Now Mobile STEM is very common.   Here is on example (https://stemrevolution.org/stembus/).  The most famous is,  the 18 wheeler NASA the Benefit of Space. This may not be affordable, but for our case a community may decide to buy  an 18 wheeler and two 40 ft containers. One container will be fully equipped with STEM activities, it will use solar power and other renewable fuels to for power .  Some communities may decide to use small vans. The 18 wheeler will carry this container to any location on a school ground, now that particular school or group of schools will use the mobile lab for period of time.  During this period the 18 wheeler and the second container can be rented to recover cost and conduct maintenance for the lab and the 18 wheeler.  Imagine now there are about 50 of them in the country, you will have covered 100s of schools in a year. With the participation of community, private sector and the government,  this is possible.

Ethiopinization of STEM

Please watch this video and evaluate the efforts of the students.

https://youtu.be/E4nqHfvYVbk

Each element has atomic number. For example  Magnesium 12  Aluminum 13  and so on. Students  are asked to construct  the Ethiopian periodic table, they named some of the elements in creative ways  but what is strange is the statement made the Ethiopian professor.  He says “there are no amharic names   for the elements”.  I think the professor did not read at all.  He is not different from his counterpart from England. The professor is a victim of European education,  masked as Ethiopian education.   Also the sad story is he said this in the presence of the student,  further destroying their potential to inquire about indigenous  chemistry.  I did not know this until I read and until I humorised  my own diary by calling it  “Abebe Beso Bela Research Center”.   Here is how it goes –According to Dr. Leykun’s  Geez-amharic dictionary.  There are over 100 names for “diamond”, and there 100 name for perfume (Aromatic substances).  This says there must be some chemistry.  the names are there in geez. There is no doubt these names can be found in Amharic literature.  This may be too far for the professor.   The elements  such as Carbon, Copper, Iron, Sulphur, Phosphorous, Mercury, Gold, Silver, Lead, Tin,  have names in Amharic.  There is also Antimony, which is one of the ingredients in Kul,  as in   ኩሉን ማን ኳለሺ.

Pedagogy and Ethics Training

Is this equation applicable for  pedagogy ?

Pedagogy= methodology+tools+content +assessment

On the right side each component interacts with the other component.  Each requires investment and training.  I have informal interactions with thousands of students and professors more than anyone in Ethiopia, and I hear things,  For example, let’s  take content. Content  may require computer for data storage, access and software tools. The tools are very expensive and they may not be adequately available on campus computers. They may not be adequate in number, and the user must take turns, We can list hundreds of problems like this ranging from the staff personal life and the hardship he faces in executing his job. I believe for effective pedagogy heavy investment is needed, besides improving the intellectual environment.

About Ethics

What is ethics ? what is being ethical or unethical ?- You can get PhD in Ethics. Share this with your students (https://doctoral.wharton.upenn.edu/ethics-legal-studies/)

On ethics matter, perhaps asking questions and answering them would help.

1) What is considered unethical in Ethiopian education enterprise ?

2) What  are the  consequences of being unethical ?

3) Do students understand and practice their rights and obligation ?

4) What resources are available for students, staff and administration  where they learn about ethics or unethical behavior ?

5) Do the admin, staff and students get periodical training on the matter ?

In education ethics, among other things,  includes honest  reporting of research, ethical treatment of animals,  fair and unbiased treatment of students regardless of their specific identification such as race, sexual orientation, gender and religion.

In my opinion in Ethiopia there are one or two  that may be looked at seriously,  the first is sexual harassment and sexual assault and the second is discrimination on account of the ethnic identity of the student the academic staff. There must be serious consequences for any unethical behavior and resource must be allocated for training . In many situations people are timid or fearful about discrimination based on sex and ethnic identity.  The two affect student learning and they cause permanent damage on the personality of the student, and it is limiting for him to function in society.  Studies are needed to answer questions such as
1) Are students/staff prevented from  advancing on account of their ethnicity and sex ?

The education road map has alluded to it but not in detail when they are talking about common language. Unfortunately  it does not include the state of education for ethnic minorities within the kilil.
2) Are students or staff discriminated to get scholarships or to be selected for an award ? if the answer is yes or it is possible ,  then you have an ethical criminal environment.

A few days ago,  at my school, we took a comprehensive,  a two hour online training on sexual harassment issues,  I got a certificate that says I completed the training.  by taking the training I signed that I will responsibly report on  behaviors or intervene before they happen.  it means I am given the responsibility to address the issue, if I don’t do it I can get reprimanded and  the law can challenge me as a silent participant- a similar training should be instituted in Ethiopian university campuses.

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