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The Eritrean Cabinet of Ministers held a Meeting on National Issues

Cabinet of Ministers holds meeting

The Eritrean Cabinet of Ministers held a meeting yesterday at the Hager Hall, here, in the capital.

The Cabinet of Ministers deliberated on the equitable provision of quality education over the past 26 years, the investment made in the sector and its progress as well as the action plan designed by the ministry.

The Minister of Education, Mr. Semere Russom, reported that substantial investment has been made to develop the education sector which had been limited to few areas under the Ethiopian colonial rule. In 1991, there were only 393 schools all over Eritrea. With the efforts made by the Government, the number rose to 1700. Similarly, the number of students increased dramatically from only 168,000 in 1991 to around 700,000. As a result of the expansion in the education sector, the number of students that have graduated from colleges, technical schools and the National Vocational Training Centers has increased immensely.

Mr. Semere also gave an account of the efforts made to develop the educational policy and plan of action, to revise the curriculum and its impact, to develop human resources and to supply educational materials. The Minister of Education also updated the Ministerial Cabinet on the action plan of the education sector for 2018-2022.

The Ministerial Cabinet took note of the report presented by the Minister of Education and proposed that a strategic plan be drafted on the expansion of quality educational services, the development of human resources and their allocation to various sectors in a way that makes it possible to gauge their contribution to the national development.

The second item the Ministerial Cabinet discussed was based on the report presented by the Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Tesfaselasie Berhane, regarding the development and challenges of land, sea and air transport. Minister Berhane said that efforts have been made to expand fair land transport services across the country.

The number of buses has increased from 257 during the first few years after independence to around 1800 and the number of trucks from 267 to 15,000.

Minister Tesfaselasie reiterated that the Ministry has been engaged in the development of its administrative and organizational capacity, construction and maintenance of terminals and roads and supply of spare parts. He also presented in detail the progress made in the expansion of ports and construction and maintenance of airports.

The Ministerial Cabinet discussed the importance of the expansion of fair transport service for economic development. The Cabinet called for the development of human resources in air and sea transport taking into account the strategic location of Eritrea that could make it a hub in the region.

The Cabinet finally deliberated the prevalent political and security situation in the region and the government’s on-going efforts in diplomacy. The Cabinet reviewed the diplomatic engagements the Government has been making with the US, European countries and others.

The Cabinet also discussed regional developments within framework of Eritrea’s enduring policy of promotion of a safe-neighborhood.