Federal Police will be deployed to the universities across Ethiopia as part of a measure to protect the security of students. Unknown as to when the forces will remain the University campuses.
borkena
December 09, 2019
The security crisis in the institutions of higher learning in Ethiopia is worsening. It has reached a point that the Federal government has to decide to deploy members of the Federal Police in the Universities as a measure to protect the safety and security of students.
The government disclosed the decision on Monday via the official page of the soon to end coalition, EPRDF.
The decision is passed on Monday, according to the source. Apart from that, the government is to put in place tight checkpoints in the entrances of universities and also install security cameras in the campuses across the more than 30 universities in the country.
The task of deploying members of the Federal Police to the Universities is expected to be finalized until the end of next week.
DW Amharic cited Communications Affairs Head of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Dechassa Gurmu, the measure is intended to minimize clashes (most clashes in the university campuses tend to be ethnic-based ones) and relieve students from a sense of fear due to clashes between students in their respective university campuses.
He believes that the measure would help to restore the peaceful teaching-learning process.
Makeup classes will be arranged for those students who are outside of their university campuses due to security concerns, the communication officer has told DW Amharic service.
No timeframe is indicated as to when government withdraw these Federal Police Members from University campuses.
Manufactured ethnic-based clashes have become ubiquitous in the Universities as what government calls internal and external forces are exploiting students to pursue their political agenda.
In September of 2019, the government introduced changes to the university admission system with the intention to avert clashes. But the measure proved to be ineffective. There have been recurring clashes in the universities during the academic year and many lives of hopeful young students have been cut short as a result of the senseless ethnic-based clashes.
It remains to be seen if the new measure will minimize clahses, and that it will not bring about unintended consequences.
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