Addis Ababa, 6 September 2014 (WIC) – As first round of trainings on government policies and strategies for students of higher learning institutions draws to a close, preparations are underway for a second round.
The two weeks training underway at training institutions across the country comes to a close today.
Some 150,000 students have been receiving the training.
Another batch of higher learning students are expected to receive the same training when the second round begins on mid September 2014.
In Addis Ababa, the trainings are provided at various campuses of the Addis Ababa University and other higher learning institutions. The first round of trainings in Addis Ababa included some 10,000 students.
Close to half are camped at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University at Akaki Kality Sub City. Among them is Mezene Temesgen, a third year civil engineering student at Wolaita Sodo University.
“We were not that much enthusiastic at the beginning,” Mezene told WIC. “But now, we have realized the importance of this kind of trainings.”
Organized by the Ministry of Education, the training manuals cover areas of democratization, good governance and development.
It also includes trainings on the FDRE Constitution, history of Ethiopian peoples’ struggle for democracy and development as well as ‘Ethiopia’s renaissance path’.
“I now know where my country is headed and what my contribution should be,” Mezene said.
Tigist Tibebu, also a third year civil engineering student from Mizan Tepi University, shares the same sentiment.
“My understanding of the policies and strategies of the country has improved dramatically during the training,” she told WIC.
In the morning session, students gather at halls to receive a training provided by selected trainers. In the
afternoon, students gather in groups to discuss and debate on the issues they raised during the morning session.
A visit to various development projects and institutions is also part of the training package.
He said the second round of trainings in Addis Ababa will be provided to some 25,000 students. 
“We are preparing more training institutions to accommodate larger number of students,” Negatu added.
He expects the second round to begin on September 14, 2014 and will run for two consecutive weeks.
Organizers plan to sustain such trainings which they say are aimed at improving the understanding of the youth on political, social and economic issues of their country.
“We are encouraged by the success of this training,” Negatu Dagnachew, coordinator of trainings in Addis Ababa, told WIC. “You see students discussing and debating even during their breaks, that was not the case when they first arrived.”