THE SCHOOL

THE SCHOOL, ITS CURRICULUM AND COST The Tafari Makonnen school, which is said to have cost 300,000 Maria Theressa dollars and a further 130,000 for the dormitory building, was spacious and much more modern than the old Menelik Lyce. It has well-lit classrooms, a library, a laboratory, refectories, dormitories, ample gardens and recreation grounds. The curriculum included French, Arabic, English, mathematics, chemistry and physics, history, geography, gymnastics and sports, as well as Amharic. Education differed from that given in the old Menelik school in that it was much more French oriented. Not only was instruction given in French but the school had a succession of French principles: Jean Guillon, Tomassini, Garicoix, Hagar and finally, in 1935, Dennis Garringue, a former Professor at the University of Teheran. At that time three of the teachers came from French Lebanon, i.e. Salhab, the history and geography master, Selim Abi Chacra, the physics and chemistry master, and Albert Adem, who taught French and Arabic. There were also four Ethiopians who taught Amharic and elementary French. Pupils of the school attended the French Legation annually to sit for the examination which qualified them for the French government’s certificate of competence in primary studies.