The nationwide boycott of elementary and high school exams that is underway is succeeding in transforming the student-led struggle from an ad hoc to a well-coordinated nationwide movement with a well-defined message.

Even though not all the schools in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa are participating in the boycott for various reasons -– mainly logistics -– the objective of confronting the Meles dictatorship in a more coordinated way is being accomplished.

Next week, more schools, particularly those outside Addis Ababa, are scheduled to take exams.

Tegbar League representatives in Ethiopia expect that the boycott will be more successful in those areas. Already in Dessie, Ambo, Wollega and many other cities and towns, schools have been closed since yesterday. Students and teachers in these cities are not only boycotting classes, they are also staging protest rallies and clashing with Federal Police.