ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia has so far recorded 90,490 COVID-19 cases (as of Wednesday 21 October), the largest number of cases in East Africa. It also has the fourth-highest number of COVID-19 cases across Africa, surpassed only by South Africa, Morocco and Egypt.

Security fears are also high, with Ethiopia having experienced communal violence this summer, especially since the death of a musician from the Oromo ethnic group in June, which is thought to have sparked more than 200 killings.

Speaking to University World News, Dechasa Gurmu, public relations director of the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MoSHE), nonetheless said the ministry expects all state-owned universities to start operations between 2 and 9 November. The largest public universities in Ethiopia include Addis Ababa University, Mekelle University, Dire-Dawa University, Adama Science and Technology University and Bahir Dar University.

Matriculation exams in November

Reopening public universities will initially be allowed to take in graduating class students who had to suspend their final-year studies because of the pandemic, said Dechasa. Then sometime after that, sophomore and other non-graduating class university students will be allowed to attend classes, he added.

Dechasa said students applying for positions as first-year students during the current 2020-21 fiscal year, but who had missed matriculation exams and needed to confirm their places, will be allowed to take these exams in November too.

Those prospective first-year university students who pass matriculation exams will be given a crash course in universities once they enter the university, probably in the second half of the 2020-21 fiscal year, Dechasa explained.

Ethiopias private universities, such as Rift Valley University in Addis Ababa, have been given the same reopening dates as their public counterparts, although Dechasa stressed that private institutions had more freedom to decide which student cohorts would rejoin physical classes at what time. Private universities and colleges have been subject to the same lockdown as state-owned institutions.

Reopening schedules may vary

Ethiopia was quick to lock down after confirming its first case of COVID-19 on March 13, with the Ethiopian government soon afterwards suspending educational activities in all primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions. As for the reboot however, Dechasa stressed that every university has its own unique situation and may vary their reopening schedules.

Nonetheless, there will be national standards regarding health measures designed to protect students and staff from COVID-19, with universities told to follow a health manual prepared by a cross-sectoral committee. It mandates, among other things, that student desks be spaced two metres apart.

Dechasa said the ministry expects just 25% of the student body will attend classes initially, easing the implementation of social distancing rules.

This higher education liberalisation reflects a general government policy to reopen the economy and ease restrictions on public gatherings. In September, the Ethiopian parliament allowed a five-month-old state of emergency associated with the pandemic to expire, while security forces have stopped enforcing the wearing of face masks in public areas.

A lot of preparation needed

Speaking to University World News, Lia Tadesse, Ethiopias health minister, said provided all available precautionary measures are taken, all educational institutions shall be able to resume classes: As you know, considering the fact that this pandemic is going to stay for a long time and considering different situations that were currently in, a lot of things are going to be reopened.

However, we maintain precautions need to be maintained to prevent the COVID-19 spread, she said, stressing that opening educational institutions will need a lot of work and preparation involving all relevant actors.

The health minister said student health is a responsibility not only of parents but also the larger community. As a result, families and community organisations along with local government need to be engaged in preparations so that all schools comply with state COVID-19 health protocols. The government will do its own share to avail collective efforts to make sure our schools are safe for our children, so a really strong engagement of parents in schools is a key thing.

Ultimately, however, the government has concluded that the negative impact of closing schools is much higher than reopening them. There needs to be ownership of the process and collective efforts to manage the process, she stressed.

Task forces oversee preparations

As a result, a federal government committee has been established to coordinate this reopening, led by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, which includes senior officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, and other relevant agencies. This committee has regular meetings with regional health bureaus and regional education bureaus to follow up on COVID-19-related measures that impact the education sector.

This collaborative approach is also being followed locally, with each educational institution creating a COVID-19 task force, which includes the professors and lecturers, university and college leadership, community health workers, parent representatives and local education officials.

These task forces will make sure educational institutions are prepared both in terms of the processes and resources needed to reopen. Coordination is critical from woreda [district] to federal level, Lia told University World News.

She is also ensuring medical supplies, such as masks and sanitisers, needed for students and staff, are provided beforehand, ensuring that institutions secure the necessary supply chains. The government is also trying to ensure that more expensive equipment such as temperature scanners are also available: Theres extensive work being done on this, said the health minister.

Fears that ethno-political tensions could resurface

Of additional concern is on-campus violence. This was common during 2019 and early 2020, as the Ethiopian government has embarked on structural reform designed to create long-term political stability for this multi-ethnic country. And the 2020 summer violence has raised concern that once the universities are back in operation, there will be more trouble.

Dechasa said officials have made preparations to prevent attacks and fights: We will work to vigorously enforce the law against rule-breaking students and others who are sponsoring unrest on university campuses.

The government hopes that the COVID-19 lockdown will have given time for some ethno-political passions to subside so that they may not recur as intensely as in 2019.

Hanan Duri, a graduating third-year statistics student at Haramaya University in Oromia, Eastern Ethiopia, the heart of this summers ethnic strife, is as worried by the resumption of communal violence as by the possibility of contracting COVID-19.

Hanan, who lives in Dire Dawa to the east of Haramaya, is set to resume classes in early November to finish her studies. She told University World News: Weve been told the university has prepared face masks and sanitisers for each student, in addition to being told our numbers in each dormitory will be cut by at least half to enforce social distancing rules.

However, Im concerned there could be a resumption of ethno-political violence in the university once my campus starts teaching at full capacity, she said.

To contact the writer speak to International News Services.

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Classes to resume soon for final-years at state universities - University World News