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On Who can attend Students who complete 11th grade are eligible. Most have either completed their national service or the maetot (harvesting cotton.) Members of the EDF [Eritrean Defense Forces] who are evaluated as unfit and disabled due to war or health problems also attend. Most EDF members, even those who did not complete high school (11th grade), prefer to go to Sawa because it is the only way to get out of the military. There is no requirement to verify documentation of completion. They are selected from the Ornik. PIA [President Isaias Afwerki] promised that 30,000 EDF members would attend W-YHS. On The Prevailing Situation Recently, 40 students escaped to Ethiopia and Sudan while on forced labor. 10 were captured while escaping. Nothing is known about them.Five people died recently, three from suicide. One of the dead is a person who was denied medical attention. He was suspected of stabbing himself and blaming it on Jihad just to avoid the forced labor. The students buried them and they raised money for their families. Students are monitored by the military police at all times when they are not in class. On Saturdays and Sundays, they are required to bring firewood and clean their environs. On the Student/Soldier Status A student asked the Minister of Education, Osman Saleh, whether they are students or soldiers received this reply: We (Education) and EDF are like hands and gloves so you are bound by military and civil regulations. On Facilities and Amenities There is no library in the high school. A hotel was constructed close by to accommodate parents. It costs 70-120 Nkf per night and meals are 60 per day. Air ticket to Sawa is 350 Nkf; if you take a bus, it is 180 Nkf. [1 USD = 27 Nkf] The Latest Buzz The latest topic is that the Eritrean Airforce lost a MIG-29; it crashed on April 13. A Russian was killed. |
