Atse Yohannes Alumni Association

Brief History of the School

Class of 1950 E.C.
9A

Class of 1950 E.C.
9B

Education in Tigrai has come a long way since the late 1930’s. Prior to 1940’s (Ethiopian Calendar), there was no system of uniform organization for education in Tigrai. Instead, the responsibility for public education was left primarily up to the individuals or communities to provide whatever form or type they desired or could afford.

Changes began after the Italo-Ethiopian war of 1935-41(European Calendar.) The Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 had an enormous impact on the local community. Almost all able-bodied young men and women served in the Ethiopian counter-offensive that came in 1936. After five-year-long bitter resistance, Emperor Haile Sellassie regained his throne in 1941. The post-war demand for modernization spurred a flurry of new activities, such as, motor transportation, paved roads and the construction of new schools inevitably followed.

In 1943 E.C. (Ethiopian Calendar), Atse Haile Sellassie laid the founding stone for the establishment of Atse Yohannes Elementary School at its present location. Before the present site, the first elementary schools were set up where Tigrai’s Bureau of Education and Bureau of Tourism now stand. The 1943 one-story building looks modest by modern standards, but its main entrance spacious high-ceilinged offices and classrooms is far superior to the Mekelle’s previous elementary schools. For years, the school continued to provide elementary level of education and later started to offer junior high level of education (7th and 8th grades).

In 1950 E.C., the high school was founded as Atse Yohannnes Comprehensive Secondary High School and opened its doors to 70 students (into two classrooms of 9A and 9B) under the guidance of an Indian Director, Mr. Apen.

Named in honor of Atse Yohannes IV, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1872 to 1889 (European Calendar), the school is very much a part and parcel of the life experiences of many generations of students.