Ethiopia University Teachers Threaten Action Over “Adminstrative Abuse”

University teachers have stressed that unless their demands for salary raises, promotions, housing, life insurance, credit mechanisms, and transfer rights for teaching staff are met, the Ministry of Education shall be held responsible for any subsequent measures that will be taken, which would in turn affect the teaching-learning process.

The University Teachers’ Association, which numbers 40,000 teachers under its wings, sent a letter on 03 August 2022 to the Ministry of Education and other high-level governmental institutions. The letter detailed that the teachers’ demands were communicated to relevant ministries and governmental institutions repeatedly and then cautioned that if their questions were not answered by the 11th of September, the teachers would enact their own measures.

The union’s letter describes that regarding earlier demands for promotion amendments (JEG) preliminary recommendation notes were discussed in the presence of concerned stakeholders on 18 October 2021 and then sent to the Ministry of Education, and while changes were being expected, however, a decision with no connection to impacts on the living conditions or work motivation was passed and this was found as inappropriate.

The executive committee of the teachers’ union detailed what it called ‘administrative abuses’; it was said that firstly, the promotion amendments (JEG) were deemed unworthy even through the lens of the entire teaching sector, more so individuals with professor rankship have seen no improvements and during the month of July 2019, the announced salary scale by the Civil Service Commission, Federal Civil Servants Job Allocation and Assessment, was not made applicable to university teaching staff.

Additionally, there were indications of interest for the housing allowance to be revised immediately taking into consideration the housing costs, stating that the promotion revision was conducted in a manner inconsiderate of teachers’ experience, and moving forward with this revision does not allow for an equitable salary parity between teachers thus it called on the revision to be cognizant of experience and rank, it was expressed.

It was explained that the assistant professorship academic title now requires the minimum bar of a post-grad degree on which the teachers say they have comments, previously those who possessed an MA/MSc/M.Phil was able to progress into assistant professorship as long as they met the requirements. Thus the decision is unscientific, illogical, and unreasonable, according to the teachers. They explained that there are those who are internationally published and also others who are waiting to meet the needed service time, hence this decision is not right.

Furthermore, it was indicated that the standards might have seemed to need improvements, however, canceling the previous path of academic entitlement completely would go against the rights of teachers, plus there are fields of study that don’t have Ph.D. programs within the country, all this would impact on the future teaching careers of many.

The union stated that the minimum required education level for academic technical assistants is a bachelor’s degree, and associated with this, the association said that they want the future of technical assistants who were at the diploma level to be detailed, and if bachelor levels were demanded, they requested universities pay for their salaries and benefits and ask for them to acquire their undergraduate degree.

Finally, it was said that most university teachers have a master’s degree, however, the revised Chief Technical Assistant II level of education requires a third degree (Ph.D.), which does not take into account the realities on the ground.

The association has issued a strict warning that if the Ministry of Education does not accept the demands and give an appropriate response, we will take the necessary legal measures, including stopping work, to enforce the rights.

The association added that the Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Education, who failed to understand the teacher’s pain and burden, will take responsibility for any procedural disruption, disruption of the education program, student misbehavior, and additional pressure on their families.