Technical assistants in higher education institutions across the country foresee opportunities to advance their educational status and climb the career ladder, as Minister of Education Berhanu Nega (Prof) ushered in a new directive that looks through their rights and obligations.

Officials hope to scale up the working conditions by paving the way for benefit packages and compensation adjustments, where technical assistants will have a chance to compete and become instructors following their respective departments' approval.

The directive entails serving a tenure of two years as a chief technical assistant and above-average scores in three-year performance are mandatory for promotion. It falls in line with overhauling the education system which has seen several reforms ever since Berhanu took the ministerial chair.

According to Chane Adefris, head of higher education affairs development, fostering quality of education and upscaling the students' ability calls for upgrading the capacities of academics and technical assistants.

"The education system requires overall reform," he said.

There are 7,420 technical assistants equivocal for the past few years for the unclear role they had been playing at the 47 public universities across the country.

The Ethiopian Teachers' Association serving as an umbrella to nearly 700,000 members, had received complaints about promotions, housing benefits, and tax issues.

The Association President Yohannes Benti (PhD), believes that the directive will relieve technical assistants who remained at the bottom of the learning curve.

"Their presence was undermined," he said.

Not long ago, a five-day strike in several universities was organised by members of the teachers and technical staff association in an effort to obtain higher wages and improved benefits packages. They claimed to have been underpaid and systematically undervalued for their efforts.

Nearly 298Km north of the capital, Debre Markos University comprises 50 assistant academic technicians. President of its 1,600 members strong Teachers' Association Damot Anteneh (PhD), applauds the efforts by the Ministry in addressing the concerns raised by academic technicians.

He recalls the association had petitioned demands of technical assistants concerning their promotion, salary, and housing benefits, two years ago, claiming to have fiddled with the low wages and were struggling to cover their rents with a salary that averages around 7,000 Br.