Eritrea - Ministry of Information

A line of electricity poles erected all the way from Dase through Brar and nature’s beauty accompanies one’s ride from Barentu to Tokombia- a semi-urban center in the Gash-Barka region. After a few kilometers of travel, a billboard on which “Hrisha Semshemia” (Shemsemia Farm Area) is written calls one’s attention that Tokombia is situated around a river bank encircled by palm trees just in a distance of 3-4 km. In a nearby area, just to the left, one could see the recently built Adiabo Junior and Secondary school followed by Martyrs cemetery and a Public healthcare center.

Aligidir is mostly known as a farming area. It is an area where industrial ingredients like cotton grew. So, in thinking about Aligidir what comes to one’s mind is a cotton plantation area along other farming activities. Aligidir is however not only a farm area but trade and pastoral life style of its 10,300 inhabitants gives it a differed picture. Irrigation based agricultural activity remains dominant over the other activities the inhabitants of this administrative area depend on to earn their living. The growing number of inhabitants in this respective areas increases the demand of Educational among other social services.

People ask me why I choose to live in Eritrea after living 40 years in America. America is a great country where you are provided with ample opportunity with luck and hard work one can be what one chooses to be. I am grateful to my American families and friends who provided me assistance and guidance; their help made me what I am today. As much as I love and cherish America; Eritrea is the land of my fore fathers; it is where my ancestors came from, my great fathers were born and buried; like my fore fathers I would like to be buried in my ancestors land.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as Eradication of Poverty (MDG1), Universal Primary Education (MDG2), Gender Equality, Reduction of Child Mortality (MDG4), Improvement of Maternal Health (MDG5), Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases (MDG6), and Ensuring Environmental Sustainability (MDG) have been the major concerns at a global level and particularly in developing countries. Eritrea, as a developing country, sets out to ensure all the MDGs are achieved with unyielding determination.

Fighting any environmental hazard or infestations of varied types or else natural barriers that could affect a normal development of any undertaking is an issue which allows no delay. As most environmental issues have a transnational nature, combating such challenges in isolation would end in utter failure. Thus, as most environmental issues have a regional and global nature, combating them with coordinated efforts of nations and particularly integration among nations that are vulnerable to seasonal or recurring negative environmental effects is a prerequisite towards full success of any undertaking that mainly relay on sound ecology. It is based on this outlook that Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa (DLCO-EA) was founded about 60 years ago. Member states of this regional organization are Eritrea, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, North and South Sudan,

It would be a repetition to say Complementary Elementary Education (CEE) has been introduced in different regions and administrative areas of the country.  However, it is significant to mention the CEE and other programs time and again for it is a cumulative result of different literacy campaigns and particularly development of curriculum which contributed most to the reduction of the country’s illiteracy rate. What is more is that in the course of the phase by phase development of curriculum for adult education two books titled Social Studies for Adults (volume one and volume two) were published.  The two books published in the period of the struggle for independence were in use for 15 years. First grade through third grade adult education program was then given three days a week. The first graders used to attend three classes in three hours while the second and third graders used to attend four classes in four hours of time.