Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education discloses it may withhold student assignments to universities in the Tigray region this year, citing military use of campuses
Borkena Desk
TORONTO, Canada — Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education disclosed this week that it may not assign students to universities in the Tigray region this year.
The ministry alleges that university campuses are being used by “armed groups” for “military activity.” There are four state universities in the region: Mekelle University, Aksum University, Adigrat University, and Raya University.
According to the ministry, these universities are currently being used for military activities.
Berhanu Nega, Minister of Education, reportedly sent a letter to the presidents of the universities instructing them to make the institutions “free from any military activities.”
“The presence of armed groups in the university campuses and the armed activities would endanger the security of students and a peaceful teaching-learning process,” the minister wrote in the letter.
The ministry stated what will happen in the event that action is not taken to resolve the issue: “Unless it is verified that the university campuses are free from military activities, the ministry will not assign students to the universities.”
The Ministry of Education assigns students who score a passing grade or higher across the country. This year, 70,544 high school students scored a passing mark to join universities.
Over the past few months, the Ethiopian Defense Force has carried out several drone strikes in the region. Schools and health institutions were among the targets, according to officials from the region, while the government alleges that school grounds were also used for military activities.
The decision from the Ministry of Education has triggered stern criticism from activists. Some view the decision as an indication of planned ground military operations in addition to recurring drone strikes.
Notably, the 2020–2022 conflict in the region claimed over 600,000 lives, according to officials involved in the Pretoria Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in November 2022.
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