Adisu Massala
Encyclopedia
Adisu Massala is an Israel
i politician.
in 1961, and made aliyah
in 1980 after crossing the Ethiopia-Sudan
border to take a plane bound for Israel. Once in the country, he studied social work and mechanical engineering at Bar-Ilan University
, gaining a BA
and went on to work as a social worker. He also became chairman of the United Ethiopian Jewish Organisation.
He was elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections
on Labour's list. However, he was one of three MKs to break away from the party to form One Nation, led by later Labour Party leader Amir Peretz
. Adisu lost his seat in the 1999 elections and has not returned to the Knesset since (in the 2003 elections he was fourth on the party's list, but they won only three seats).
-Brookdale Research Institute. Eighteen percent of Ethiopians age 14-17 either drop out or attend school irregularly.
Adisu blames the dropout rate on an educational system that places a large number of the Ethiopian students into religious schools, whether or not they are religious, and into poor-quality boarding schools.
Additionally, he described a problem with the language instruction:
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician.
Background
Masala was born in EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in 1961, and made aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
in 1980 after crossing the Ethiopia-Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
border to take a plane bound for Israel. Once in the country, he studied social work and mechanical engineering at Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
, gaining a BA
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and went on to work as a social worker. He also became chairman of the United Ethiopian Jewish Organisation.
He was elected to the Knesset in the 1996 elections
Israeli legislative election, 1996
Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
on Labour's list. However, he was one of three MKs to break away from the party to form One Nation, led by later Labour Party leader Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
. Adisu lost his seat in the 1999 elections and has not returned to the Knesset since (in the 2003 elections he was fourth on the party's list, but they won only three seats).
Views on education
The school dropout rate for Ethiopian Jews is higher than that of the Jewish population at large, according to the American Jewish Joint Distribution CommitteeAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
-Brookdale Research Institute. Eighteen percent of Ethiopians age 14-17 either drop out or attend school irregularly.
Adisu blames the dropout rate on an educational system that places a large number of the Ethiopian students into religious schools, whether or not they are religious, and into poor-quality boarding schools.
Additionally, he described a problem with the language instruction:
- "Reading comprehension is a problem.... Common sense indicates that the great difference in culture and codes has implications for language learning," Masala said. "But the teaching method is uniform and identical for all groups of immigrants. The program doesn't take into account the culture and traditions of one community or another."