History

By Aregawi Girmay, MD

(All dates are in Ethiopian Calendar)

Before the advent of secular western education in Tigrai, education in Mekelle, as in rest of Ethiopia was delivered by the Orthodox Church (Menfesawi) and Medresa in the Mosque. One notable individual who provided very vital service to the youngsters of Mekelle was the late yenta Hagos Degu who operated the Menfesawi School in the Edaga Beeray section of Mekelle. Many of the students who moved from the Menfesawi School to Atse Yoannes School did quite well academically because of the good foundation Yeneta Hagos provided.

Modern education came to Mekelle around the time of the Italian occupation of 1928-1933. As in many invasions, educated citizens, particularly the young, were seen to be potential resistors of the invaders. Initially therefore, the Italian aggressors pursued a discriminatory policy of education. In 1930 however, the Italians recognized that their harsh policies were not producing the desired results. They began to adopt more flexible policies to pacify the local population and they started some projects such as constructing clinics, roads and schools, hoping that this kind of action would bring less opposition.

The schools in Mekelle were started and operated on the basis of a separate racist policy, with segregation between locals and Italians. The "Scuola" operated for Italian children, and its location was at the current Tigrai Bureau of Education. "Scuola Indigeno", where local native children were to be educated only to the fourth grade level, was placed at the old Provincial Department of Finance known to many people as "Eda Ato Teka Tesfay".

When the Italian occupation ended, the Ethiopian central government of Emperor Haile Selassie was not willing or able to operate a country-wide school system. The task of providing education was mostly left to the local communities in many parts of Ethiopia, including in Tigrai, only worse in some respects.

In 1934, with the help of few teachers who had worked in the Italian school system; Ato Yohannes Woldgeorgis, Ato Tesfamariam Tesfamicheal, Ato Mokenen Eiakem, and Halka Hailu, the first formal modern school system was established in the heart of Mekelle at the current Tigrai Bureau of Education. The school was named after Atse Yohannes the IV, Emperor of Ethiopia.

The first Woyanne Rebellion forced a temporary suspension of the school operation in 1935-36. At the end of 1936 in its post- war reorganization, the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia announced the formal establishment of a national secular school system. Atse Yohannes Elementary School was one of the institutions that received formal recognition by the ministry.

In 1937, Ato Zewngel Gebrekidan was hired as a director and a teacher. The school leaders made history by admitting two young female students, W/rt Genet Fekadu and W/rt Meslech Biserat., a bold move for the time.

A relatively modern educational facility was built in 1945 at the present location of Atse Yohannes Elementary School. Emperor Haile Selassie laid the foundational stone in front of the entrance to the one-story building during his first official visit to Tigrai. He also rededicated the school as the living memory of Atse Yohannes IV. The campus became the permanent home of Atse Yohannes Elementary School and later the home of its sister school Atse Yohannes Comprehensive Secondary School.

In 1950, due to growing demand for secondary education in Tigrai, Atse Yohannes Comprehensive Secondary was founded as the first post-elementary educational institution in Tigrai, welcoming 70 students who came from all over the region (Awrajas). In 1955, the Secondary School moved to the present location, sharing the compound with the Elementary school. In 1957-60 additional class rooms, an auditorium and a modern laboratory for science students were built.

During its long, uninterrupted history of service, the physical plant of the schools has experienced tremendous decline mostly due to wear and tear on the buildings. For forty five years, the school has provided a vital service to the community with a very limited maintenance to the buildings. Now the buildings are old and antiquated. Desks and chairs are broken, many blackboards have holes in them and the then-modern laboratories are unusable.

Despite the sub-optimal educational facilities, the school leadership and students continue to keep the tradition of academic excellence alive, preparing the students for higher education. For more than a half century, the school has been the center of fine education for boys and girls. It provided young children fundamental skills and knowledge to help them succeed in their pursuit for higher education. Many generations of the same family have passed through this institution. For many of us, this is more than our alma mater -- it is the school that nurtured our family members -- our parents, brothers, sisters and relatives.

Achievements

• For many years, the school was the only school of higher education in Tigrai region, attracting the most outstanding students of the time.
• In 1957, the school was recognized as the second best school in Ethiopia in Boy Scounting.
• The student body of AtseYohannes secondary school contributed significantly in the fight against environmental degradation of the hillsides surrounding Mekelle by planting trees on terraces on the hills to the eastern part of Mekelle...
• The school has had a number of outstanding sport teams in soccer and track and field. The soccer teams particularly earned many championship trophies for the school.
• It also had strong debating club which made learning at Atse Yohannes fun. In its early days many students enjoyed the well-organized activities in drama and literature.
• Many of the graduates of this school have contributed in a positive way to the entire country and Tigrai.
• In the academic years of 1990 and 1991, Atse Yohannes was ranked number one in Ethiopia for having the highest number of students who achieved a GPA of 4.0.
• Many former students of this institution have heroically given their precious lives in the political and armed struggles waged against the Derg and the last Emperor which it succeeded.

Sources:

1) Halefom Belay, PH.D, the first President of AYAA
2) Ato Teame Gidey, Current teacher at Atse Yohannes high school, board and executive committee member of AYAA-Mekelle.
3) Ato Girmay Mesfin, former student of "Scuola Indigeno".
4) W/rt. Eyerusalem Kebede, Alumni, instrumental in collecting data from Mekelle.
5) Ato Kebede Kassaye, former employee of the Provincial School Administration.
6) Dr. Mokennon Fekadu, alumni of Atse Yohannes Elementary school