(Hello Africa) Chinese agricultural teachers empower Ethiopian youth with practical skills

In a sunlit classroom at Ethiopia’s Holeta Polytechnic College, animal science students clustered around a table as Chinese instructor Ma Yujie demonstrated surgical suturing. The hands-on session reflects a shift from theory-heavy lessons to practical skill training, a change students credit to their Chinese teachers.

ADDIS ABABA, May 21 (Xinhua) — In a sunlit classroom at Ethiopia’s Holeta Polytechnic College, animal science students clustered around a table as Chinese instructor Ma Yujie demonstrated surgical suturing.

The hands-on session reflects a shift from theory-heavy lessons to practical skill training, a change students credit to their Chinese teachers.

One of these students is 22-year-old Lemi Abera, who, along with his classmates, took his turn to practice stitches on training pads. For the most part of their two years’ stay at the college, located in the Holeta town of Ethiopia’s Oromia region, Abera and his fellow students have been following a curriculum that leaned heavily on theory.

“Unlike our initial years here, we are now participating in practical demonstrations, with our Chinese instructors linking classroom concepts to practical animal health practices,” he said.

Highlighting frequent practical demonstrations facilitated by the Chinese instructors, mainly using equipment brought from China, Abera said these sessions are helping students to better understand animal health topics that were once abstract.

Ma, an associate professor in veterinary medicine, is one of the 20 Chinese teachers who are currently teaching at six vocational colleges across Ethiopia, under a China-aided initiative aimed at empowering Ethiopian youth with practical agricultural and husbandry skills.

“The students really cherish the opportunities to practice on training models, to the extent that some are willing to spend extra time in the laboratory after class,” Ma told Xinhua.

“The teachers apply techniques directly on animals or training models, ensuring we acquire the necessary skills and confidence through hands-on experience,” Abera said.

For Abera and his classmates, the practical focus has sharpened their ability to diagnose and treat common animal conditions. They have learned to handle veterinary tools and master surgical sutures, skills they believe will be essential once they begin supporting local farmers and communities upon joining the workforce.

Fellow student Hawi Girma, 22, echoed the sentiments by saying that her time with the Chinese instructors throughout this academic year has significantly boosted her practical skills. “Continuous demonstrations by the Chinese instructors have deepened my understanding of animal diseases, treatment methods, and techniques to enhance animal welfare and productivity,” she said.

Noting that the instructors bring equipment into both classroom and field settings, making lessons tangible, Girma said students have effectively developed the knowledge and skills to identify and apply the appropriate animal health measures more quickly.

The college’s dean Mulugeta Abera said the Chinese instructors’ successful contribution is part of the long-standing Sino-Ethiopian cooperation in the agriculture sector. Their engagements at the college mainly rest on three key pillars — equipping students with the latest practical skills, introducing modern technologies and techniques, as well as conducting joint research aimed at improving the local community’s livelihood.

The college has observed “significant improvements” in students’ grasp of animal science knowledge and skills, which Abera attributed to the hands-on teaching methods introduced by Chinese instructors.

Highlighting technology transfer as a key aspect of Chinese instructors’ work, he said such efforts are further supported by the use of equipment donated by the Chinese government, including milking machines, chicken hatcheries, microscopes, and computers. He said the Chinese experts conduct daily sessions, introducing these tools to students and staff, effectively narrowing the technological gap and building local know-how.

Beyond the classroom, the Chinese team provides wide-ranging community services, including short-term training, field demonstrations, and knowledge transfer to local development agents.

“The results of our collaborative action research efforts are further contributing to the improvement of livestock health and productivity within local communities,” the dean said, citing collaborative studies conducted by the Chinese experts, college staff, and the local community.