99 - Taking Extension Classes at BDU, Bahirdar University, Ethiopian Journey

Indians, especially expatriate Indians who venture out of India tend to be on the lookout to make as much money as possible.  The only legitimate way of earning some extra money was to take extension classes. Getting an assignment to take extension classes was not an easy task and getting them was totally dependent upon the whims and fancies of the HOD concerned.

For the uninitiated extension classes, are sessions that are held on Saturday and Sunday in Ethiopian Universities.  They are called open university classes in India which too are held on Saturday and Sunday.  Mostly from Monday to Friday, sessions are held for regular students.

Extension classes are for part time students and employees who cannot afford to take regular classes. Most of the extension classes are handled by Ethiopian faculty as their salaries at that time were almost one tenth of the salary that was paid to expatriate teachers.

When there was a shortage of faculty or when there was a lack of expertise in teaching a particular subject, the expat Indian teachers too, were roped in to handle extension classes.  

For taking extension classes 800 Birr was paid for each credit hour.  For a three credit hour course the faculty was paid 2,400 Birr which amounted to 12,000 Indian rupees. Decent, it took care of our two months’ expenditure.

I was lucky to get extension classes in all the semesters during my stint at Bahirdar University for which I should be thankful to all my HODs.  One of the most peculiar things about Ethiopian universities was the administrative structure of the academic departments. Most of the Indian teachers had a minimum ten to fifteen years of teaching experience. At the same time their reporting HODs were very young. Many of them were 21 or 22-year-old university graduates.

Sometimes Indian Faculty had to face prickly situations. The student whom they had taught in the previous semester suddenly becomes their HOD. This was quite a situation as one’s student who was a meek and submissive suddenly becomes your boss!! She/he starts monitoring your work, is responsible for the appraisal and yes will even sit on the committee which will decide on the recommendation of the renewal of the contract!!!

Most Indians including me adapted quite well to this scenario. Some expats including Indians who could not adjust were either given marching orders or were allowed to finish the contract and their contracts were not renewed. It was the Ethiopian way of saying “it is my way or the highway”.

I was in for a big shock when I went to take the extension classes for the first time. A classroom which usually holds up to 60 students, had 90 to 100 eager beaver students sitting choc-o-block, Literally cheek-to-cheek!!

It was an amazing sight. The distance from the black board to the first row of students would be 4 feet!  I was paralyzed with apprehension and felt claustrophobic. Most of the students sitting in the front row were young women and they would follow my movements like the spectators following a tennis ball in a stadium. I found the entire experience to be quite nerve whacking.

The worst was yet to come. There was too much dust in the duster and I stepped out of the classroom to clear it. I had a quite peculiar feeling. It was as if someone was drilling into my back. I suddenly whipped around and the sight almost made me drop dead. The entire 90 -100 students had turned left and were solemnly looking at me hitting the duster on the wall just like chicks watching their mother foraging for insects. I did not know what to make of it!

The young women would fidget and they were within touching distance. The teacher can’t make any sweeping comments (pun unintended) or swoosh his arms around. For a faculty like me who likes to walk around and make gestures, it was like being chained to a post. And the collective “Ishh” the sound that the Ethiopian students make to show their consent sounded like leaves rustling in the garden.

I realized the hunger that the students had for education. It dawned on me; the students were neither adept at speaking in English nor were interactive but they were quite brilliant and their hunger for knowledge made them delightful students. The students were paying hefty fees (by Ethiopian standards), sometimes up to 30 to 40% of their annual pay so that they could climb up the social ladder and get better jobs and make their families more secure. I was humbled.

There were fringe benefits of taking extension classes. Padma later remarked that we were getting better services, better prices and quality products in Bahirdar markets.  Most of the people who were working in the restaurants, in the fruit shops, retail outlets and the taxi drivers, maids, many of the non-teaching staff including Ms. Mahider our management department’s typist/secretary were my extension students.

Padma would look piercingly at girls who gave me ravishing smiles and ask, “Are they your Extension students?”. I would nod my head slowly in predicament. There were give or take around 40 – 50 women in a class and many a time I would be handling two to three extension classes. How do I remember faces of 150 young women, whom I see only twice in a week, that too only for two hours?

And to make matters worse their work place attire and the attire that they wore at the university differed. Luckily for me, I could get away talking with a ravishing Ethiopian beauty in Bahirdar. Padma would immediately assume that she was my student!!!

The friendly banter (teasing) that was directed at Indian teachers by the locals too got reduced considerably, for me at least. The rabble rousers were now scared! The tables were turned and the shoe was on the other foot. Their subject evaluation and grades were in my hand. Even Pranav was less targeted. Because of extension classes, I had students all over Bahirdar city. It is a matter of pride that we Indians touched the lives of so many Ethiopians in our own small way.