Taye addresses ETA challenges at ACP/EU Symposium
By Wondimu Mekonnen
February 20, 2004
Ms. Glenys Kinnock (Photo: ACP/EU)
ADDIS ABABA - The Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA), reeling from years of court litigation which froze its bank accounts and shut down its offices for 11 years, received a tap on the shoulder on February 17 from a high-level European Parliament delegation which said it was pleasant to see ETA back in the business of striving for teachers rights, and ideal educational goals despite lingering challenges.
Opening a workshop entitled: "African and Caribbean Initiative for Education," Mrs. Glenys Kinnock, Co-President of the African, Caribbean and Pacific/European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly, said she was pleased to see ETA rebouncing back from its troubled days in the past to carry out its responsibilities as a national trade union. Mrs. Kinnock, who herself has been a school teacher for many years, could not stress the all-too-clear importance teachers play in advancing education to the benefit of the society.
The workshop was attended by delegates from UNICEF, UNESCO, Education Ministry, and the Ethiopian Teachers Association.
ETA President Dr. Taye Wolde-Semayat, who received a standing ovation for the courage he displayed during his six-year imprisonment and his commitment to the goals of education, on his part made an impassioned plea to the international dignitaries to urge the government to desist from setting up bottlenecks that have threatened the very existence of one of the oldest trade unions in the country.
ETA offices were shut down for 11 years, its bank accounts frozen and assets seized until recently when a court ruled in favor of the ETA headed by Taye than the state-formed ETA.
As a show of solidarity, some delegates of the ACP/EU in the afternoon of February 17, 2004 accompanied ETA officials to the court, to attend a hearing that surfaced when a supreme court order turned down a previous ruling which aknowledged the legitimate Ethiopian Teachers Association. ETA's Secretary General Gomorraw Kassa is still in exile.
Though ETA veteran lawyer Abebe Worke was behind bars over trumped-up charges, Dr. Taye and friends tried to represent their association so that the guests would have a glimpse of the judiciary system. The judge, however, postponed the hearing to Monday.
Earlier at the workshop, one of the European Parliament delegates said EU fund for education released for use in some African countries was being diverted and misused by greedy governments. He said submitting "sound educational projects" alone was not enough to win financial support, and pledged he would push for a mechanism that any money released ends up in the right hands for the right purpose: promoting education.
The 7th session of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly took place in Addis-Ababa from 16 to 19 February. In addition to the issue of education, the Assembly examined the reports of its Standing Committees on the following topics:
- the Economic Partnership Agreements,
- Poverty Diseases and Reproductive Heallth in ACP Countries.
Our contributor Wondimu Mekonnen has covered issues related to education and the challenges being encountered by the Ethiopian Teachers Association (ETA). He could be reached by email: Wondimu.Mekonnen@BTInternet.com
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