Ministry of Education has ordered Berehan ena Selam Printing Press to start printing the exam papers for the 12th grade examination starting as soon as possible.
Even if at the beginning of the year the ministry was planning to give the entrance exam digitally by tablets as result of delay on importing the equipment, the ministry has changed its plan. On Thursday February 11 2021, Getahun Mekuria, Minister of Education told the press that the ministry has decided to submit the exam on paper due to the inability of the test tablets to enter the country on time.
Accordingly, the 2019/20 National Examination will be held on March 8, 2021, he said. Examination credentials will be issued at the school from March 1 up to 3, the statement said.
Even if the ministry has assumed to give the exam within the coming 25 days as the sources close to the case told Capital, the ministry has ordered Berehan ena Selam Printing Press to get ready to print the exam papers. As the source indicates, the ministry is expecting the printers to finish the printing within the time frame.
Similarly, the government is also planning to distribute the exam and answer shits within seven days from February 28 up to March 6, 2021 to all zones in the country.
As past experiences from the ministry, preparation for the exam takes a longer period which the exam printing by itself takes about three months. However, according to the National Educational Assessment and Examination Agency director, Delamo Otoore, “It is possible to prepare the exam in one month if we use our time properly.” Furthermore, he said that there is nothing the agency is concerned about that could change the exam date since students have to be ready for university. In line with what he said, universities could start receiving fresh students starting from March- April.
It is to be recalled that the Ministry of Education has been preparing to give the 2012 Grade 12 National Examination online by giving each and every student tablets to take the exam digitally in selected schools.
As Delamo said, it would be possible to give the exam through tablets if the time was tabled on March, however because of some delay and parents’ pressure, the government is obliged to go the print route.
According to the Ministry of Education data, there are 450,000 grade 12 students that are expected to take the exam.
Previously, the government was preparing to give the exam from December 7 up to December 10, 2020. At the time students were given 45 days of class and technology guidance and registration was expected to be done online, which normally was done manually before. According to the decision of the ministry every student who has completed grade 11 and attended the first semester of the academic year was eligible to sit for the exam
It has been a turbulent year for the students amidst this pandemic from the onset of schools being closed after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the closure all schools across the country On March 16, 2020, and on March 27, 2020. Ethiopia which has around 20 million pupils in Ethiopian schools with about 45,000 schools over the country and nearly a million in the 50 public universities and more than 250 private academic institutions, all of which represent high potential transmission sites faced uncertainty during this time of closure.
Similarly, following the conflict in Tigray region the Education Minister Getahun Mukaraba said more than 12,000 12th graders in the Tigray State will take their exams at higher education institutions in the region if the exams were to be rolled out on time to the students who were also full of uncertainty.
This uncertainty is now leveled across the board as the ministry has affirmed that the examinations will be done. Furthermore, the ministry has assured to coordinate this exam roll out in a timely fashion to transition these students.
From digital to paper: Ministry orders national exams to be printed
COOPBANK cooperates to facilitate staff loan to ETG
Ethiopian Airlines Group signed its second agreement with Cooperative Bank of Oromia to provide a staff consumer loan scheme and Banking Services additional to the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.
On Tuesday February 9, 2020 Ethiopian Airlines Group (ETG), Ethiopian Airlines Group Primary Basic Trade Union (EAGPBTU) and Cooperative Bank of Oromia S.C. (COOPBANK) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide the loan scheme.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Tewolde Gebremariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, said, “today, we have signed the 2nd MoU with the 2nd Bank to benefit our employees and to strengthen our mutual cooperation and partnership with both COOP Bank and EAGPBTU.”
Tewolde Gebremariam, Telila Deressa, President of EAGPBTU and Deribie Asfaw, President of COOP Bank signed the MoU on behalf of their respective Organizations.
The MoU is initiated and facilitated by EAGPB as a part of its effort to maximize employee benefit packages which will enable ETG to enhance its effective employee retention strategy and promote EAGPBTU’s commitment of benefiting its members and ETG employees in general.
Per this MoU, ETG employees will benefit from loan services from COOP Bank at the rate of a prevailing saving interest rate which is 7% currently, for purchase or construction of houses, for procurement of automobile and to cover personnel commitments such as education loan, medical expense, for purchase of household equipment.
The agreement is also said to benefit Ethiopian Airlines and EAGPBTU from fast and quality banking and other financial services of COOP Bank.
“Partnering with the largest and leading aviation Conglomerate in Africa and one of the top Airlines is just the start or a tip of the iceberg,” said Deribie Asfaw, president of COOP bank.
According to TeIiIa Deressa, President of EAGPBTU, EAGPBTU has invited all private banks in writing for this staff loan arrangement in addition to making efforts to re-negotiate on the existing MoU with CBE for a better and beneficial loan
package to our employees. “COOP Bank happened to be the only bank which officially responded to our demands to benefit our members and employees in general. This arrangement is an additional and better option to our employees to get Bank consumer loan services. The terms of the loan offered by COOP Bank shows that COOP Bank is not only a profit based business organization but also an organization committed to economic transformation of citizens for which we are grateful both as
EAGPBTU and citizens,” the president elaborated.
The Chinese IVY Hotel inaugurated
Yimei Group has inaugurated its Chinese famous brand hotel IVY Hotel located around Haya Hulet area. The company has opened the chain of four-star hotels in Ethiopia which has 54 rooms, restaurants and GYM.
The company is planning to open eight more hotels with the chain of four star and five star hotels within the coming years targeting business people at affordable prices that are economical and redefine the middle-class hotels.
On Friday February 5 2021, managements of IVY hotel and officials from the China Embassy have officially inaugurated the hotel with the presence of Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan.
IVY HOTEL Management (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., founded by SUNMEI Group an internationally leading hotel chain brand operator, is aimed to create a high cost-effective economy hotel chain – IVY Hotel – for the African market.
Taking its world-class brand advantages, management advantages and channel advantages of the two companies, the IVY HOTEL aims to introduce the concept and model of standardized chain operation in the African region according to local conditions and provide powerful investment management services for the land and property owners, so as to create rich economic benefits and social values out of those idle resources and work together with the locals to build a fashionable, comfortable and affordable modern economy hotel.
Ethiopia, Djibouti collaborate to promote tourism
A four-day high-level Ethio-Djibouti tourism forum which targeted to strengthen strategic partnership between the two countries was held in Addis Ababa from 9th to 12th of February 2021.
Ethiopian and Djiboutian Ministers of tourism as well as other officials and experts from the respective countries participated in the forum.
In her opening remarks, Ethiopian Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hirut Kassaw said Ethiopia and Djibouti have a long-standing people-to-people relationship on the top of a multifaceted cooperation including culture and tourism.
Hirut affirmed Ethiopia’s commitment to strengthen the strategic collaboration for mutual benefits, adding that the countries need to work closely to harmonize the tour operations and information exchanges.
Ethiopia and Djibouti have abundant natural, cultural and historical resources to attract international tourists with the fully electrified railway which connects Addis Ababa and Djibouti that would facilitate tourism development between the two countries.
“Tourism cannot be accomplished by a single county rather it needs coordinated efforts, so organizing such forums are critical to use opportunities and to fighting challenges together,” she stated.
Minister of Urban Planning, Environment and Tourism of Djibouti, Mohamed Abdoulkader said for his part that Djibouti remains optimistic about the future of tourism development between the two neighboring countries.
He further said that the existing partnership between Ethiopia and Djibouti will allow the countries to combine their expertise in terms of tourism development.
“Ethiopia is a great civilization which has historical and diversified culture and has plenty of UNESCO registered heritages,” the minister stated.
Djibouti has also a wonderful tourism sites, the Minister said, adding that the partnership between the two nations will further unlock the sector since tourism now established itself as the key economic element.
