Source: World Wide Web
The Indian Express reported on the 3rd that the expanding conflict in Ethiopia has caused damage to local schools and educational institutions, and the country's Ministry of Education said that 1.42 million students in Tigray State could not attend classes. The deteriorating situation has also affected an unexpected group of hundreds of Indian professors who teach at universities across Ethiopia.
A person familiar with the matter told The Indian Express, "Everyone was disappointed when we had to come back (of India)." Indian scholars in Tigray had to leave, but some in other states stayed. He added that he had booked a flight and wanted to return to work where the university still taught, but "we don't know when we'll be able to go back [in Ethiopia]." ”
But even before the conflict broke out, it was difficult for Indian educators to continue working there due to economic factors in the country. Inflation and political-economic instability have reportedly led to changes in wages, and in 2018, foreign academics learned without prior notice that their salaries would be cut and their annual incomes would be cut by 40 percent, which local news reports said was due to a shortage of foreign exchange in the country.
The exact number of Indian academics currently working in Ethiopia is unclear, when the Ethiopian government's figures estimated that about 2,000 Indians were teaching at institutions across Ethiopia, the largest group of foreign scholars if divided by country. While Indian scholars have faced challenges over the past few years, forcing some to look elsewhere for opportunities, for others, the personal relationships they have forged with the Ethiopian people and the kindness they have won have kept them coming back to the country.
Academics told The Indian Express that favourable working conditions, climate and, in particular, respect for Indian teachers are some of the reasons they enjoy working in the country, "They make us feel like we're part of their community and that's why we love being there." We got so many feelings there. This is lacking in India. That's why we were even able to stay in this country. ”
The Indian Express quoted people familiar with the matter as saying: "The employment situation in India is very bad, and it is much better to work in Ethiopia." Despite tax challenges and conflicts, people prefer to go there. The weather was nice. The professors there were well respected. Before the conflict broke out, it was relatively calm. ”
Indians have a history of teaching in Ethiopia. In the mid-20th century, Haile Selassie I, who led Ethiopia, reportedly adopted a Policy of Westernization, focusing on ensuring English education in Ethiopia and finding language trainers from the West. However, several stumbling blocks were encountered in the implementation of these plans. The high salaries demanded by educators from the West make it unaffordable for Ethiopia and force Selassie to turn to India. As a legacy of British colonialism, the language of instruction in many public and private schools in India is English, especially in urban centres. This provides Ethiopia with the resources it needs to hire teachers.
Indians have reportedly been sent not only to addis Ababa, the country's capital, but also to schools in small towns and remote villages for teaching positions, a trend that has continued for more than 50 years. At that time, Indians began to travel to Ethiopia in large numbers, many of them with their families. The Indian Express quoted a 40-year-old local citizen as saying: "By the time my generation went to school, there were already quite a few Indians teaching, not only primary and high schools, but also universities." After the 1990s, Teachers in Ethiopia began to replace Indians in schools, and Indians mainly held teaching positions in colleges and universities.