Recently, Eritrea Profile featured an article exploring Eritrea’s continued efforts to promote educational opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing (published Saturday October 26). Written by Simon Weldemichael, not only was the article extremely interesting and well written, it was enlightening, replete with details, and informative, ultimately helping to shine critical light on an important rights and development issue. In addition, however, the article was immensely significant and worthwhile for its powerful reflection of Eritrea’s broader commitment to education, social justice, and equality. The following piece continues the discussion by delving a bit further into these core pillars of Eritrean society.
An enduring commitment
One important aspect of Simon’s recent article on expanding learning opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing was its reflection of the longstanding national commitment – dating back even prior to independence – to education. In Eritrea, education is regarded as a fundamental right, key to development, and a central pillar of communities and society. Despite a constellation of challenges and obstacles, the country continues to exert considerable effort, as well as direct substantial investments, toward ensuring equitable access and delivery of quality education at all levels for all citizens, guided by the principle of social justice. (This principle is further detailed below.) This commitment is articulated in the country’s National Charter, adopted in Nakfa in 1994, which declares that:
“Education is the foundation of development. To provide equal educational opportunity means to provide equal opportunity for development. We must widely expand education so that our people can be free from ignorance, acquire knowledge and skills through various means, and enhance their productive capacity to build their country.
Education is a fundamental right to which every Eritrean is entitled. Therefore, we must expand education to the rural areas, of the country where educational opportunity has so far been scant. We must build an advanced educational system which serves national unity and development, and equips people with knowledge and skills. Without the development of education, we cannot build our country or enhance democracy and justice.
Our greatest asset is our human resource. Therefore, we must assign a high priority to its development. Formal education is one way. In addition, all governmental and non-governmental institutions must provide continuing education and training. Continuous effort must be exerted to develop knowledge and skills throughout the society.”
Notably, this national commitment has translated into tangible results. For instance, within both urban and rural areas, hundreds of new schools, learning centers, and libraries have been built, as older ones have been markedly renovated or upgraded. The number of schools at all levels has multiplied from just over 500 in 1991 to 1,930 in 2015 and to 2,351 last year, with many more currently under planning or in the process of being constructed. Accordingly, enrolments at the primary, middle, and secondary levels have increased from 353,859, 141,746, and 87,664 to 398,090, 176,162, and 88,984, respectively. At the tertiary level, between 2016/17 and 2023/24, enrolment within degree programs increased by almost 89 percent from 1,672 to 3,155, while enrolments in diploma programs have ranged from between 1,000-2,000 annually.
Parallel to these advances, the number of qualified teachers has been increased at all levels, and significant progress has been registered with regard to literacy. It is estimated that in 1990, on the verge of Eritrea’s independence, the adult literacy rate in the country was 46 percent, with male literacy standing at 59 percent and female literacy at 35 percent. By 2018, adult literacy had improved to about 77 percent, with male literacy moving to 84 percent and female literacy increasing to 69 percent.
During the same period, even steeper increases were achieved in youth literacy, indicating that the country’s efforts to strengthen the supply and quality of basic education programs have largely been successful. In 1990, youth literacy was about 61 percent, with male literacy at 73 percent and female literacy lagging behind at 49 percent. However, in 2018, youth literacy had climbed to approximately 93 percent, with male literacy rising to 94 percent and female literacy jumping to 93 percent. Reflecting the scale of these improvements, several years ago, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics, a special agency of the United Nations, even pointed out that Eritrea has achieved one of the largest increases in youth literacy anywhere in the world over the past 50 years.
Social justice and equality
Another dimension to Simon’s article was its underlying focus on the concept of social justice and equality. At the same time representing a long-term process and a standalone goal, social justice mainly has to do with the notion of fairness. Basically, it is the view or belief that all people within an institution, community, society, or country should have equal opportunities, be afforded the same rights, and receive the same treatment, regardless of their specific race or ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, age, religion, mental and physical ability, or other particular distinction. A relatively recent concept (unlike justice in the broad sense) and a term that has become increasingly prominent within general discourse, social justice is undergirded by several fundamental principles or pillars. Among others, these include: human rights (which involve the fundamental dignity and the inherent value of all persons); equality; diversity; respect; access; and participation.
In Eritrea, social justice constitutes a central guiding concept and anchor for nation-building and development. Once again, the National Charter declares:
“Equitable distribution of wealth, services and opportunities, and special attention to be paid to the most disadvantaged sections of society.”
Across the past three decades, Eritrea has crafted a broad spectrum of policies and adopted a variety of legal instruments to help address the specific needs of and catalyze progress for vulnerable groups: not just persons living with disabilities, the deaf and hard of hearing, but also the poor, women, children, nomadic populations, and those residing in extremely remote or hard-to-reach areas.
This overall approach and vital interventions continue to play a critical role in cultivating peace and unity within Eritrea’s multiethnic, multicultural society, aim to mitigate disparities and create a level playing field on which all citizens have a genuine opportunity to excel, and seek to ensure that each and every individual is empowered and able to enjoy the fruits of inclusive socio-economic growth and social progress.
Overall, deaf and hard of hearing youth can do anything hearing children can, provided they receive appropriate support and assistance. Eritrea’s focus on ensuring that they have backing and opportunities, guided by social justice and equality, is helping them to learn better and improving their life chances dramatically.
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