"I’m a university lecturer.
I was the top scorer in the Grade 12 national exam in my stream—possibly the highest of all time. I graduated with a perfect 4.00 GPA, the only one to do so at my university to date. I completed my master's degree at Addis Ababa University with very great distinction. I was considered the best of my generation. But truthfully, every university lecturer was once the best of their generation.
I've been teaching for seven years now. My net salary is 10,700 Birr. I pay 7,000 in rent and survive on the remaining 3,700. It feels less like a profession and more like a punishment for excelling in school.
Now, I’m expected to inspire my students—standing in front of them in worn-out shirts and uneven shoes, trying to convince them that hard work pays off. I was supposed to be a symbol of excellence, someone they could look up to. Instead, I’m a cautionary tale.
Meanwhile, cheaters, corrupt officials, and unqualified party loyalists reap the rewards of a broken system. This country doesn’t belong to them—it belongs to those who built it with knowledge, sweat, and service. It’s time to reclaim it from the parasites and restore dignity to those who earned it."