A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to establish a partnership between Consortium of Ethiopian Public Universities (CEPU) and Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC) to organize exalted offices in each public university campuses at the president’s office (AAU) on December 22, 2022.
As stated during singing, the role of the exalted offices in the universities would be rendering unrestricted accesses to conference/meeting halls, recruiting and training professionals as well as setting different scholarly platforms.
The purpose of the partnership would be creating shared responsibilities and ownerships between CEPU and ENDC to build the culture of inclusive dialogue and peace in the local community and beyond with an overarching effect on higher education teaching-learning system to envisage the inseparable nature of peace, education and development in Ethiopia.
Professor Mesfin Araya, Chief Commissioner of Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission (ENDC), in the interview said that the students in the state (Federal) universities in each region represent the children of Ethiopia and that the higher education institutions are independent from politics where effective national consultations can smoothly run in them.
Since universities are sources of knowledge, establishing branch offices in the institutions will enable inclusive discussions with students, researchers and teachers as well as the university community to realize fruitful peace building, Prof. Mesfin stated.
Professor Tassew Weldehanna, President of CEPU, said in his turn that ENDC is doing an effective job by involving the people on national issues that cross the era and the universities should be the main collaborative actors for the effectiveness and fruitfulness of the national dialogue.
“Universities conduct a wide range of important research on peace and security, political, social and economic issues. Institutions of higher education provide so many community services that the ENDC can achieve its mission if it works in partnership with Government universities,” Prof. Tassew urged.
It was explained in the MoU meeting that the agreement targets to bring and realize a close collaborative efforts of the purpose and goals of the two negotiating parties in the major areas of national importance, including: accommodating discussions in peace buildings, creation of social cohesion and inclusion in the national dialogue.