Addis Ababa, June 27, 2026 (FMC) — Graduates must ground their professional journeys in patriotism and a strong sense of conscience in order to faithfully fulfill their social and civic responsibilities, Ethiopia’s Minister of Education and Chancellor of Addis Ababa University Professor Berhanu Nega has said.
The Minister noted that ongoing strategic initiatives aimed at granting higher education institutions greater academic and administrative autonomy are already producing tangible transformations across the sector.
Addis Ababa University has graduated 6,417 students at its 76th commencement ceremony, conferring undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees, as well as other advanced academic certifications.
In his congratulatory address, Professor Berhanu said this cohort represents the first graduating class under the country’s comprehensive new education reform framework.
He described the occasion as the dawn of a new era in Ethiopia’s education history, expressing confidence that graduates are well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to advance national development and community progress.
Reflecting on past challenges, the Minister said that political systems over the last five decades had treated academic institutions as instruments of ideological and political control. According to him, this legacy constrained academic freedom, weakened instructional quality, and left schools under-resourced.
He further noted that long-standing disparities in early childhood education—the foundation of learning—created deep divides between well-resourced private schools and underfunded public institutions, reinforcing generational inequality.
Professor Berhanu stressed that poor-quality education inevitably leads to broader social and moral challenges, including polarization, institutional decay, corruption, and excessive individualism, which in turn weaken national cohesion and shared identity.
To address these challenges, he said the reform agenda has introduced a series of initiatives aimed at developing a globally competitive generation grounded in science, technology, ethics, and civic responsibility.
Accordingly, a new Education and Training Policy has been implemented, introducing a competency-based curriculum that integrates indigenous knowledge with academic, professional, and ethical training.
He also highlighted major efforts to expand early childhood education, noting that thousands of new pre-primary schools have been constructed, providing free access to over four million children and reducing long-standing urban-rural disparities.
In addition, he said construction of 1,452 more pre-primary schools is underway and expected to be completed within the current calendar year, with priority given to underserved districts.
On school standardization, the Minister cited a diagnostic assessment indicating that 86 percent of primary schools and 71 percent of secondary schools previously lacked essential learning inputs and infrastructure.
To address this gap, a new model school design has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Ethiopian Architects, incorporating modern laboratories, sports facilities, and agricultural training fields.
He further noted that the government has mobilized significant public support under the “Education for Generations” campaign, raising more than 145 billion Birr for school renovation and standardization initiatives.
Professor Berhanu also said Federal Special Boarding Schools are being established across regions to nurture highly gifted students selected on merit from across the country.
To combat academic dishonesty, Grade 12 national examinations have been administered on university campuses over the past four years, supported by a hybrid paper-and-online system aimed at strengthening examination integrity and ensuring merit-based outcomes.
He added that ongoing summer capacity-building programs are being provided to secondary school teachers and school leaders to improve instructional quality.
The Minister further emphasized that higher education institutions are being empowered with academic and administrative autonomy to align research with national development priorities.
He noted that Addis Ababa University has led this transition as the country’s flagship autonomous institution, with nine additional public universities expected to adopt autonomous governance in the coming fiscal year.
In his closing remarks, Professor Berhanu urged graduates to improve their personal lives while contributing to national progress, calling on them to carry out their civic duties with integrity, patriotism, and a strong moral conscience.