How Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education SystemHow Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education System

The bridge was first built in December 2013 when he saw an old woman trying to cross a stream in the state of Ethiopia. Trunks, which helped the girl finally cross.

Since then, the associate professor in the Department of Public Administration and Development Management at the University of Ethiopia has helped build 93 low-cost bridges with the help of a steady stream of his students.

“ In fact there is no one who has not been taught by an Indian teacher, especially of my generation. Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and teachers are all from India, men and women. When I pursued my degree in agricultural engineering (1979-81), the head of the department was also an Indian,” says Daniel Idenfisu, a consultant in agricultural and environmental risk management in Canada.

THE FIRST GENERATION OF INDIAN TEACHERS IN ETHIOPIA

Although teachers from Kerala began teaching in Ethiopia in the 1940s, the number rose exponentially in the 1950s after Emperor Haile Selassie visited India to help Ethiopia expand its education system.

 It was particularly taken by Paul Varghese, an Indian mathematics teacher who impressed the emperor with his fluency in Amharic – Ethiopia's national language – during a play in 19
How Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education SystemHow Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education System India in 1956, the Emperor asked the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Orthodox Church to send Paul Varghese back to Ethiopia as his secretary and advisor.

Emperor Haile Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974, wanted to speed up the country's development and therefore placed great emphasis on education. However, the country suffered from insufficient teaching staff and lack of facilities. Importing foreign teachers to work seemed like a quick fix.

The emperor's effort to find Indian teachers was part of his policy of western education, for which he needed educators with knowledge of the English language.

While English-speaking Western teachers demanded higher salaries, the emperor found Indians too cheap. Another factor that contributed to the emperor's visit to India was the good diplomatic terms between the two countries - India and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations in 1950.

India's public education system is recognized as one of the best in the former British colonies. Therefore, the shortage of Ethiopian teachers can be addressed by offering Indians more attractive salaries and perks like housing and air tickets.

Highly qualified and fluent in English, many of them Orthodox Christians, teachers from Kerala were happy to work for lower salaries compared to their counterparts from Western countries. Indian teachers were therefore invited to administer and teach 'Teacher Training Programmes' in government schools, colleges and universities across Ethiopia.

The lack of job opportunities within India and relatively low salaries have prompted a large number of teachers to accept employment in the East African country.

Especially taken by Paul Varghese, an Indian mathematics teacher who impressed the emperor with his fluency in Amharic – Ethiopia's national language – during a play in 1947.
How Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education SystemHow Indian Teachers Have Shaped Ethiopia's Education System
The bridge was first built in December 2013 when he saw an old woman trying to cross a stream in the state of Ethiopia. Trunks, which helped the girl finally cross.