THE ETHIOPIA FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CABINET IS THE FACT THAT THEY GOT MINISTERIALS PORTIFOLIOS FOR SECTOR LIKE CULTURE and EDUCATION

 What often puzzles me of the composition of Ethiopia’s federal government cabinet is the fact that they got ministerial portfolios for sectors like CULTURE and EDUCATION

. While Ethiopia is constitutionally a multinational—and hence multicultural—federation, it’s odd that the federal government runs ministries dedicated to a certain culture and/or education system. Canada is a good example for doing great job by avoiding such counterproductive stuff😎

Well, article 51/3 of the constitution grants the federal government only to “establish and implement national standards and basic policy criteria for public health, education, science and technology as well as for the protection and preservation of cultural and historical legacies”. Power to contextually draft and implement policies, laws per their own needs, on these contentious issues are for the states. To be sure, this power of the federal government is about establishing standards and some basic policy criteria for education, science and technology as well as for the preservation of cultural stuffs . Here, the terms “ESTABLISHING STANDARDS” and “BASIC POLICY CRITERIA” are key as they show that, constitutionally, the federal government CANNOT dictate or impose its own will on state governments vis-a-vis these matters. The federal government runs standard setting agencies for such purposes like setting school leaving certification exams and professional accreditation or licensing. 

Why should it then waste tax payers’ money running unconstitutional and useless Supra-ministries such as the ministry of education, of culture etc particularly at this point in time when an electorally defeated, hand-picked and appointed opposition politician holding the portfolio wrongly politicizes and/or sinisterly depoliticizes the very idea education system itself?