Graduates Must Fulfill Civic Duties with Patriotism, Integrity, Says  Education Minister

Addis Ababa, June 27, 2026 (ENA)_ Graduates must anchor their professional journeys in patriotism and a profound sense of conscience to faithfully discharge their social and civic obligations, Minister of Education and Chancellor of Addis Ababa University, Professor Berhanu Nega, urged.

The Minister noted that strategic initiatives designed to grant higher education institutions academic and administrative autonomy are yielding tangible transformations across the sector.

Addis Ababa University has successfully graduated 6,417 students in its 76th commencement, conferring undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, alongside other advanced academic certifications.

In his congratulatory address, Berhanu highlighted that this cohort represents the inaugural class to graduate under the framework of the nation’s comprehensive new education reform.

Hailing the day as the dawn of a new era in Ethiopia's educational history, the Minister expressed immense confidence that the graduates are fully equipped with the knowledge requisite to drive national advancement and community development.

Reflecting on past challenges, he observed that political systems over the last five decades treated academic institutions as centers for ideological and political control. This legacy stifled intellectual freedom, compromised instructional quality, and left schools severely under-resourced.

Furthermore, systemic disparities in early childhood education—the bedrock of learning—historically created a profound divide between well-endowed private schools and underfunded public schools, entrenching generational inequities.

The Minister underscored that sub-standard education invariably triggers a moral crisis characterized by societal polarization, institutional decay, corruption, and corrosive individualism, ultimately eroding the workforce's sense of national solidarity and shared identity.

To remedy these deep-seated challenges, the reform-oriented administration has launched a series of promising initiatives aimed at nurturing a globally competitive generation anchored in science, technology, ethics, and civic morality.

Consequently, a new Education and Training Policy has been enacted and operationalized. The policy champions a competency-based curriculum that integrates indigenous knowledge with rigorous professional, academic, and ethical instruction.

By prioritizing early childhood education, the government has dismantled the structural inequities that previously confined kindergarten schooling to urban elites. Thousands of new pre-primary schools have been built, providing free, equitable access to over four million children.

Berhanu added that accelerated efforts are underway to construct an additional 1,452 pre-primary schools before the conclusion of the current calendar year, specifically targeting underserved districts lacking early learning facilities.

Addressing school standardization, he cited a diagnostic assessment revealing that 86 percent of primary schools and 71 percent of secondary schools nationwide initially lacked fundamental educational inputs and infrastructure.

To redefine future learning environments, a new architectural template has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Ethiopian Architects to build model schools equipped with modern sports facilities, laboratories, and agricultural training fields.

Recognizing that state resources alone cannot bridge this infrastructural deficit, a historic public mobilization under the "Education for Generations" national campaign successfully rallied over 145 billion Birr to fund massive school renovation and standardization projects.

Furthermore, the Minister stated that Federal Special Boarding Schools are being constructed across various regions to gather and cultivate exceptionally gifted students selected on merit from across the country.

To eradicate the culture of academic dishonesty, the administration has administered the Grade 12 national examinations within university campuses over the past four years. The integration of a hybrid paper-and-online testing matrix has restored systemic integrity, ensuring that academic success is earned solely through hard work and merit.

To enhance pedagogical quality, comprehensive summer capacity-building programs are being actively delivered to secondary school educators and institutional leaders.

He re-emphasized that higher education institutions are being empowered with academic and administrative autonomy to steer their research agendas toward answering pressing national development needs.

While Addis Ababa University has paved the way as the nation’s premier autonomous institution, nine additional public universities are slated to officially transition to autonomous governance in the coming fiscal year.

In his closing call to action, Berhanu urged the graduates to uplift their personal lives while driving national progress, exhorting them to execute their civic duties with unwavering integrity, patriotism, and an abiding conscience.