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Araya

sent

4 days ago

Hello Resoum! I really applaud your tenacity to remember those forgotten heroes. I would like to leave history to historians (professionals). However, the raw materials for historians are eye witness accounts. The eye witness accounts, the less are embellished the better. I might have to write some my eye witness account some other time for now let me share with you one recurring theme from your writings. This is about "the imposition of Amharic as the language of instruction in 1957." I do not know in other parts of Eritrea, but in Asmara, Amharic replaced Tigrigna in all schools around 1964/5. Until then Bietghiorghis, Godaif, and Hibret were running in Tigrigna and Agazian and HSI (Qehas n'shto) in Amharic. Italian schools in Italian and Jalia in Arabic. After around 1964/5 Amharic was imposed on all public schools and Tigrigna eliminated. The Italian schools were unaffected but added Amharic as a subject. I do not recall what happened to Jalia. HawKa, --Araya
 

Araya

sent

3 days ago

Selam Resoum, from your writing, the information, “[f]urthermore, in 1953 the Empire tightened its control by passing a law that required all males in urban areas to carry identity card at all times [,]” is correct except the date. The law to carry identity card was enacted for males aged 16 and above in In 1966/67. I was impacted in more than one way when this act was promulgated. It was bonanza for an unscrupulous principal of the elementary school I attended, as it gave him an added means of exploiting us. Students were forced to take their picture for the ID not only from a particular studio but must be taken indoors. For those of use who could not afford it, was huge financial burden (I might write my memoir on Melesse Bitew, the principal). Hence the year that the regulation that mandated males 16 and older to have an ID card, in Eritrea, is not definitely 1953 but it is 1966/67. Next, I will jot you the chronology of schools system's transition from Tigrigna to Amharic and nuances within the transition. –Araya Kassa

  

Araya

sent

2 days ago

In general, private schools, in Asmara where not affected by the change of guards until the late sixties. For the example, the Italian schools system was intact long after Italy was defeated and Eritrea was no longer under its control. The only change that was instituted from the colonial era, the school system became open for the indigenous beyond grade 4. My gut feeling is all other private schools were also free from any government control as to the language and curriculum of instruction. The private schools were mainly run by religious institutions such the the Proestant Christian denominations (Seventh-day Adventists, Evangelical, Lutheran) Catholic, Islam, and Tewahdo. My brief note here will focus only on the public schools run by the two levels of governments, just before and after the merging of the two into one.
 

Araya

sent

2 days ago

Up to 1964/65: Public schools in Eritrean Federal system (in Asmara) had three levels – elementary, middle, and secondary school. Elementary (grades 1 to 4): language of instruction was Tigrigna and English was taught as a subject. There was a (national) general examination to proceed to middle school. Middle school (grades 5 to 8): language of instruction English, no Tigrigna even as a subject. At end of grade 8, there was a general examination to proceed to the secondary school. Secondary school (grades 9 to 12): language of instruction English (Amharic as a subject might have crept in, but I am not sure when).
Public school run by Ethiopian government (in Asmara): following Federal administration model, Elementary (grades 1 to 4), language of instruction Amharic and English as subject. There was no national exam at end of grade 4 as the Federal system but the language of instruction changed from Amharic to English in grades 5 to 8 with added Amharic as a subject. At end of grade 8, there was a general examination to proceed to the secondary school. Secondary school (grades 9 to 12): language of instruction English with an added Amharic as a subject. Thus the Amharic language was taught in grades 1 to 12 while Tigrigna was limited only to grade 4 then (unfortunately even after independence Tigrigna is limited to grade 5, this is my pet peeve as researcher of Tigrigna).

Sat 16:00

 

Starting 1964/65: Tigrigna was abolished along with grade 4 national exam; all public schools (grades 1 to 6) were conducted in Amharic. A new general examination was introduced to proceed to grade 7 (my cohorts were the first to take this exam; as the language of instruction into Amharic was changed at end of the first term, students were given an option of English or Amharic for sciences and math exams). In grades 7 and 8 (later termed as Junior high) the language of instruction was English with Amharic as a subject. A general examination was taken to proceed to secondary school. Secondary school (grades 9 to 12): language of instruction was English with Amharic as a subject, there was also section of pure academic plus French but French was not taught consistently, I had an opportunity to take it only once. The year general exam was introduced to be at grade 6 was the year the three-term academic year changed to semester.
Before I leave you to focus on the good work that you are doing, I will jot a brief note about a comment I wrote on one of your shared links in FB. This about SDO and Silla Abel. –Araya Kassa.

 

Here is my last installment on Silla, Kunama and the area in general: Silla Abel (Balambaras) belongs to an eminent Kunama family, at that time. His younger brother, Gaio, was the principal of the Swedish Evangelical Mission School in Sossena, a sister, Christina, was dresser in Tessenei hospital, and their father was also involved in the school system (looking after the boarding school?). Here are some other eminent Kunama personalities: Fait/Faid Inga (Grazmatch), the father of the famous singer, Dehab, with no known position at that time, but was a one time Ethiopian parliamentarian representing Kunama and a SDO of Afabet. Ethiopia (Bashay) a community elder with no known position in Shambuqo. And, Mohamed Badume (Grasmatch) who was known to be in position of authority in Tessenei but I met him in person while in exile. Silla was the Sub-District Officer (SDO) of Barentu. Other SDOs in the District of Gash and Setit at that time were an Affari, I failed to recall his name but we use refer has the Denkelai in Shambuqo; a certain Abebe (ex-colonel from the Neway brothers era who attempt to overthrow Haile Selassie in the 60s) in Tessenei, and Ejel Abdulrahman (Grasmach, who later become prominent personality in the Derg era) in Omhajer. Their boss, the District Officer (DO) was Alem Mammo (Fitewrari, used to be a colonel in BMA and the Director General of Eritrea under Asrate Kassa (Ras), the Governor Eritrea, replacing Ghebreqal (? Has honorific title)). The terms DO, SDO and some other nomenclatures as well systems of administrations that are remnants of the BMA era were still active in that area. BMA – British Military Administration of Eritrea. Silla, in addition to be the administrator of Barentu District, he was also the leader (commander) of the Kunama only armed militia in the district. One of his sons also had joined ELF at that time. In spite of the presence of the Rapid Deployment Force (komands) and the liberation front (ELF), armed banditry was prevalent in the area until 1975. Note: After graduating from college, barely in my twenties, I was stationed as a Public Health Inspector in that region (1972-1977) and I had the opportunity to travel and meet such personalities in person. Thanks Resoum for helping me reminisce of time long gone by–Araya Kassa

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