Orientation Given to New Female Post Graduate Students
Ethiopian Civil Service University Center for Gender and Development organized Orientation to over 60 female Public Management post graduate students on Thursday, November 7, 2013.
The orientation was given by a representative of the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, a former graduate of ECSU and also by the ECSU Center for Gender and Development.
Speaking on the occasion, Tesfayenesh Lemma, representing the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, recalled that her ministry in collaboration with ECSU graduated 35 female students last summer. She said this special women empowering education program has a goal beyond helping the new batch of students. She noted in the coming years other women would also be encouraged to pursue further education and actively participate in the development activities of the country taking them as examples.
“Your change has important contribution for the change of your family and your country,”
Tesfayenesh said. She said, according to the Growth and Transformation Plan a target set to increase the number of women in leadership positions to 30 per cent. And she underlined that when women have better educational background, they could play better leadership roles. She appreciated ECSU for being very committed to help female students. And she said the university has got recognition for supporting female students by the UN as it was awarded for this commendable effort.
Elleni Tadesse, who graduated from ECSU in Public Management Masters program last summer, shared her experience to the students. She said they were supported by the university, the instructors and by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs. She said ECSU is a university that is highly committed to support female students.
“Our instructors served as guardians. They were very friendly. We had internet access in our dormitory building. We were given training on assertiveness skill.”
Elleni encouraged the students to study in teams to be more successful.
Head of ECSU Center for Gender and Development, Abay Akemachew, on her part called upon the students to strengthen not dependency but interdependency.