Taye Dendea, the ousted state minister of peace, has once again voiced his sharp criticism of the Ethiopian government, calling out its lack of accountability in addressing the country’s pressing issues. His remarks touched on the issues discussed to the latest parliamentary session with the prime minister’s presence earlier this year, where Hon. MP Dr. Dessalegn Chanie of Bahir Dar raised concerns about the dire state of the Amhara region. Like the former minister he pointed out the lack of accountability for the state of the amhara region with 50% of Ethiopia’s out-of-school children being in the Amhara region, a staggering statistic that underscores the severity of the crisis.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, however, deflected responsibility, placing the blame squarely on the Amhara Fano, accusing them of obstructing schools and targeting teachers. In a pointed remark, he challenged critics, saying, “When you condemned this ‘pro-war advocate,’ why did you fail to mention a group that prevents people from going out, (children)attending school, (farmers)harvesting crops, and obtaining fertilizer?” His rhetoric painted the Fano as the primary force behind the disruption of education in the region.
The Prime Minister went further, ridiculing the rebel group’s beliefs, stating, “What use is education to a group that wears hyena skin on their wrists, thinking it will protect them from bullets?” He then branded them as “Lords of Ignorance” (የድንኩሪና ጌቶች), a phrase that quickly became the focal point of Taye Dendea’s rebuttal. Taye began his statement, asking, “Who, then, is the true Lord of Ignorance?”—a direct challenge to the government’s narrative.
Taye’s criticism extended beyond rhetoric. He lambasted the federal government’s misguided priorities, highlighting its extravagant spending on palaces, parks, and other large scale tourism projects, Abiy Ahmed administration’s cornerstone plan for development and increased tourism revenue. Ethiopia’s tourism revenue is projected to $5 billion annually by 2030 a potential 38% growth. Ultimately national security plays a huge factor and Former state minister of peace Taye Dendea has accused the administration for jailing him “unlawfully” and only because of his effort and call to end security concerns with dialogue. In his critics Taye suggested the shift from “reckless spending” to investing in government employee’s like teachers that are heavily underpaid. This issue had already been a topic of heated debate in a previous parliamentary session, where the Ministry of Education’s policies came under scrutiny, The latest parliament meeting without the presence of the prime minister was the meeting held, for the state minister of education Birhanu Nega addressing the parliament, In which he blamed the federal gov’t for the underpayment of teachers, Again MP Dessalegn Chanie expressed his frustration with the ministry of education, himself as a university teacher pointed out the compensation for teachers as bare minimum and one of the lowest in the world, although he didn’t entirely blamed the minister for the fact which the minister agreed to by saying that “It’s not just teachers, it’s all of government employees that are not being compensated well for what they do”
Just like the MP, Taye Dendea criticized the harshness of the Education Minister Birhanu Nega approach within the ministry defended his ministry’s approach to fix the education system that is affecting students, asserting that Birhanu Nega’s strategy was misguided. “The minister is trying to fix the system with tests,” he remarked, “but instead of making exams impossibly difficult, why not focus on improving the quality of teachers?” He argued that strengthening educators would be a far more effective way to build a robust education system—one that ensures literacy and opportunity for all Ethiopians.. He explained that students were being relocated to distant universities to take their exams in an effort to curb cheating, but the result was a shockingly low pass rate of just 2-5%.
Dendea’s words reflect a growing frustration with the government’s handling of education, governance, and economic priorities. His call for systemic reform resonates with many who believe Ethiopia’s leadership is failing to address the root causes of its crises. The debate continues, but one thing is clear—Taye Dendea is not backing down.
