Education knocking the doors: a time to unlock the potential of many brothers and sisters of Somali region in Ethiopia

Education knocking the doors: a time to unlock the potential of many brothers and sisters of Somali region in Ethiopia

Education is not a charity rather a fundamental human right for all people irrespective of their sex, race, economic status which is the key to sustainable development, peace and stability among countries. In any society, the provision of education is a fundamental and basic for human resource development.

Educating a nation remains the most vital strategy for the development of the society throughout the developing world.  However what I want to share the readers is how nowadays the people of Somali region in Ethiopia are waking up year after year, are ready  to keep up this education opportunity that is standing in front of their doors every Saturdays and Sundays, because, the region were long behind the rest of the country when it comes the number of educated people graduated from the different colleges and universities of the country or even joining for many reasons, like socio-economic problem, distance of the universities to the region,  criteria to join different colleges and universities and others who visited the environment of universities and comeback.

There were not universities in the region which award the students with degree level like never before. Thanks to Distance and Extension degree programs that Jigjiga and Haramaya Universities are giving a lot of brothers and sisters who didn't get them like this  opportunities which I can say is waykusoo martee waxkaqabso, to unlock their potential and take the advantage this time, if the education came after them and saying  please I did not come anyother  thing rather to unlock your minds and hopes that you once locked and  tell them if there is other people who were once what is called in local language ' Matric Quslanyaa' which means victims of secondary  leaving certificate examination  in recent memories.

Therefore, what ups and downs the human capital of the region faced  when it comes to this tertiary education , are  now striving to see they  liberated from backward living, being educated, reached in good living standard, ensured democracy, can efficiently participate in the affairs of the country such like realizing the Growth and Transformational Plan (GTP) in the country as a whole and in the region particularly.

Let me tell you one story about me, the day get the result of Ethiopian higher education certificate examination and fulfilled the criteria needed to join Universities, one of my uncle said to me 'Adeer maad idlaysay waxbarashadii' before giving him a response I laughed more due to the word idlaysay, and said to yes I have, and I addes to him I will go university next month and he said to me, 'Ma waxbarasho kalaad sii wadi waar orod warqada qaadoo shaqa raadso' I don't know whether he thought the destination was there. By the way if I would have accepted my uncle's offer today Education would have knocked my door.

Abdiaziz Ali Hussein

MA Candidate, Haramaya University, Ethiopia

Email: abdiaziz-ali@hotmail.com