It is my contention that Western education has alienated Ethiopian intellectuals by uprooting them from their history, culture, language and society. This paper, which was presented at an Ethiopian studies conference at the University of Dayton, Ohio, in the summer of 2006, attempts to elaborate my contention by providing a brief account of the history of Western education in Ethiopia and its negative impact on Ethiopian students. It also demonstrates how Marxism damaged Ethiopia and reveals the secret forces behind Marxism and its hidden agenda. In conclusion, it suggests ways and means of improving the core-curriculum of Ethiopian education. 

When Emperors Menilik II and Haile Selassie I introduced and spearheaded Western education to and in Ethiopia in the 19 nth and 20th centuries, they didn’t foresee that it will alienate and uproot Ethiopian children from their origin: Ethiopian history, culture, language, psychology, philosophy, religion, music, literature, arts, and even society. These emperors introduced and spearheaded it with the sole purpose of modernizing Ethiopia by the acquisition and transfer of knowledge in the form of science, technology and education. When parents wouldn’t allow their children to go to Western schools fearing they would be exposed to foreign ways of life and religion such as Catholicism, Emperor Menilik II made a decree to punish them severely. This phenomenal Emperor who had cultivated the love for technology when he was growing up at the court of Emperor Tewodros who was himself a fanatic for technology, particularly weapons’ technology, set an example to his people by doing menial works, demonstrating an interest in engineering, and even himself repairing watches, driving car, encouraging his wife Empress Taitu to ride bike, introducing electricity, telephone, telecommunications, cinema, railway transportation, etc. to his country. Following in his footsteps, Emperor Haile Selassie laid a modern infrastructure and stressed the importance of Western education. As a matter of fact, he volunteered to serve as the Minister of Education for many years to see to it that his educational policy was implemented properly. To this end, he went to different schools in person and supervised the classes and the foods his “kids” ate and drank. At times, he sent fruits to his students from his palace. During Christmas, he offered thousands of students in his palace with cakes and special sweaters. To high achievers, he awarded special watches with his profile and inscriptions of his name.