Historical Background of the Establishment of Wachemo Comprehensive

Secondary School

Wachemo Comprehensive Secondary School is one of the first and well known secondary
schools in the region and at national level. It serves as the main source for scholars who are
currently working at various higher leadership as well as professional positions at national level
and abroad. Wachemo Comprehensive Secondary School is located in South Nation,
Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR), Hadiya Zone, Hosanna Town Administration,
Naremo Kebele. It is 232km far from Addis Ababa, and 192km far away from Regional town,
Hawasa. The school was established in 1972 .During its establishment, there were 666 students,
50 teachers, 20 classrooms, 3 administration blocks, and two dry latrine blocks for teachers and
students. Currently there are 200 teachers, 5000 students, 40 administrative workers including
school guards. Regarding to facilities, there are administration blocks, pedagogical center,
laboratory rooms, guard houses and dry latrines for teachers and students, two ICT Centers, one
E-Learning Center with intern ate access, 32 learning classrooms as well as one library that is not
standardized for the level it serves.

In Hossana town and surrounding there was not any secondary school before the growth of Ras
Abata Boyalaw primary school/Yekatit 25/67 to secondary school in 1966. Before 1966 due to
the absence of secondary schools in Kambata and Hadiya awraja, only few individuals sent their
children to far places such as Indber, Woliso, Asela and Adis Ababa to get chance of secondary
school. As a result, many students in Kambata and Hadia Awraja, who had completed primary
education were not able to continue their secondary school and forced to drop out their
education.

From 1966 onwards the growth of student population continued and the existing Ras Abata
Boyalaw primary and Secondary /Yekatit 25/67 school was unable to accommodate them. It was
at that time that a better solution was recommended that is, to build another school which could
contain both junior and senior secondary schools. Ras Abata Boyalaw School had been raised
from grade nine to twelve in four years time (1966-1969). It was noted that the growth in grade
level was not owening to the preparation and arrangement made by the school. But it was made
possible because the students above 9 th grade had no place to go after their completion of grade 8
in the school. Soon after the opening of grade twelve the school suffered from shortage of
classrooms. In addition to this, the necessary facilities such as library and laboratory were not
prepared in the former location for high school. Inorder to solve these problems the committee of
Ras Abata Boyalaw School made a series of meetings followed by discussions and finally
decided to apply to the ministry of education and fine arts. The committee suggested that the
construction of new buildings at a new site would be the only means to solve the problems of the
Ras Abata Boyalaw School.

As the aspiration and need of the local community for the establishment of secondary school
presented to ministry of education and fine arts, in 1967 Emperor Hailesilasie came to visit
Hossana town and made public speech for the people at the meeting held at Wachemo
Comprehensive School under the big tree found at the school compound. In that meeting the
representatives of Kambata and Hadiya awraja people politely requested the emperor to have
new independent secondary school for the people expressing the problems facing due to lack of
secondary school in the area. At that meeting Emperor Hailesilasie made promise to allow
independent secondary school in the town and to provide the proposal for the ministry of
education and fine arts. The ministry of education and fine arts agreed with the suggestion of the
emperor and allowed the establishment of the new school at suitable site selected by the school
committee.

Initially the committee had chosen as alternatives four different sites in the areas of Balawold,
Arogemagazine, Arada and Gofermeda (Gashajagre). Among these places only one site appeared
to be suitable for the construction of a high school. After a series of meetings and lengthy
debates Gofermeda was selected as a suitable place for construction of the new secondary school
in Hossana town as well as in Kambata and Hadiya awraja.

Sinc the land was selected as a site at Gofermeda was occupied by land owners, it was necessary
to convince the owners to evacuate the area and be given money as compensation. The owners of
the land were forced by the awraja governor to hand over the land and to take their money which
they were offered for the land taken.

The land on which this school would be constructed was bought by the Awraja development
organization. Initially the awraja development organization set up a joint price estimating
committee which consisted of three men. The committee estimated the price of the land taken by
the school to be fifteen cents per square metre came out with a total of 6000 birr for an area of
40,000 squqre metre. It is important to note that 6000 birr was paid by the awraja development
organization as the cost of the land. Thereby, the cermony of the transfer of the land was made
between the sellers and buyers (committee) in the presence of the awraja governor, mayor, other
district officials and members of the awraja development organization.

The construction was started in 1970 and completed in 1971. Though the land on which the
school was built was bought by the awraja development organization, the cost of construction
was covered by the ministry of education and fine arts. The costruction of the secondary school
was done by Swdish Compony. According to the official report, the cost of construction was
about 300, 000 birr.

Before the school began its function the son of Abebe Woldesamayat and his sister appeared
before Emperor Haile Silasie and asked the Emperor to allow them that the new school built at
Hossana to be named after their father Lij Abebe Woldesamayat. For his patriotic and heroic
activities Abebe’s son and his sister got permission from the Emperor that the new secondary
school built in Hossana town to be named by Lij Abebe Woldesamayat. The ministry of
education and fine arts had written a letter to the district education office that the new school in
Hossana be called Lij Abebe Woldesamayat secondary school/ Later Wachemo Comprehensive
Secondary School. The inauguration of the school with a name of Lij Abebe Woldesamayat took
place on November 14, 1972.

The new school began its function in September 1972 though its inauguration was on the 14 th of
November the same year. Both junior and senior high school with the staff was transferred from
the former Ras Abata Boyalaw School to the new site with its name Lij Abebe Woldesamayat
Secondary School in September 1972. The former school maintained its former name Ras Abata
Boyalaw School but it was limited to an elementary school. In 1975 both grade 7 and grade 8
students were sent back to the former Ras Abata Boyalaw High School because of the
increasingly growing number of students at Lij Abebe Woldesamayat Secondary School (Later
Wachemo Comprehensive Secondary School).
From 1973 onwards the number of the students at Lij Abebe Woldesamayat Secondary School
increasingly grew from year to year. In 1973 there were about 608 male and 127 female students
and with a total of about 735 students and 50 teachers. In 1976 though the number of teachers
was reduced to 41, the number of students had grown to a total of 1671. The growth in the
number of the students resulted in overcrowding of the students population in each classroom.

In order to solve the problem of the overcrowdings of students in each classroom, the number of
sections was raised from 43 to 51 with the introduction of two shift system. Before the number of
sections grew, there were about 80 to 85 students in each classroom. But the number of students
in one classroom was reduced to 60 as the result of the increment of number of sections and
introduction of the two shift system.

Following the 1974 revolution in Ethiopia, the names of institutions and schools previously
assigned by various governors was changed to their own appropriate names in 1975. Due to this
fact, the name Lij Abebe Woldesamayat changed to Wachemo High School in 1975.

The curriculum of the ministry was strictly followed and rule and regulation for promotion set
for high school of Wachemo. In due course of time the new fields with new subjects started to
appear which were not practiced before 1977. In 1977 in addition to the academic and non
academic subjects taught in the senior secondary school, other vocational subjects were
introduced into Wachemo high school. From 1977 to 1981 the introduction of various fields of
study in the secondary school of Wachemo made it a comprehensive secondary school. Since
1977 because of inclusion of the new vocational subjects in the curriculum, the school has been
called Wachemo Comprehensive Secondary School. The new streams that were opened at that
time included: Comerce, Home Econmics, Agriculture and Productive Technology and Industrial
art.

Each stream offered its own subjects in addition to the common subjects: Maths, Amharic, and
English languages taught in all the high schools. In the Agricultural stream students learnt
Amharic, English, Maths, Agriculture, Geography, Biology and Physics. The subject Agriculture
consisted of both theoretical and practical activities. The theoretical part is based on classroom
teaching and teachers evaluated their students by giving written examination where as in the
practical part students were given plots of land either individually or in group to grow some
vegetables such as carrots, onions, tomato, potato, cauliflower and red beet. Students were
evaluated according to their products. When a student in this field completes grade 12, he is
given a diploma in Agriculture to certify his qualification.

In the Home Economics stream students learnt subjects like Amharic, English, Mathis, Food and
nutrition, Home management, Textiles, Human relation, Physics and Health education (Child
care). Amharic, English, Mathis, Physics, Wood work and Metal work were also taught in the
productive technology and Industrial art stream. But this field was short lived because of the
shortage of teachers and unavailability of teaching materials.

Vision, Mission, Values

Vision Statement

• To see the school being center of excellence at national and regional level as well as
having academically competent and ethically developed students by 2024.

Missions Statement

Through mobilizing and participating community and stakeholders, providing science

and technology oriented cost-effective and quality education for citizens as well as
creating academically competent and ethically developed citizens.

Values of the School

• Respecting multiculturalism.

• Providing science and technology oriented education.

• Empowering democracy.

• Being model for others.

• Developing community participation.

• Creating ethically developed citizen.