Addis Ababa, August 18(ENA)--Participants of the higher learning institutions scholars’ forum have agreed on Saturday to work in consolations and cooperation with the government with a view to expediting development endeavors in the country. Prime minister Meles Zenawi also said the scholars and the government have developed a common consensus on various national issues.

According to a commitment of expression they issued at the end of the forum, the scholars said higher education has an irreplaceable contribution to build execution capacity of governmental institutions.

They said improving the quality of education could enable to extricate the people from the grinding poverty and bring about rapid economic development in various parts of the country.

Although the intake of higher learning institutions has shown remarkable growth during the last few years, the production of skilled manpower should by supported by the government to achieve its intended objectives.

The Addis Ababa University (AAU) should exert utmost efforts to produce skilled manpower in the postgraduate program, who could be instrumental in raising the execution capacity of various institutions, according to the commitment expression.

The have also urged pertinent bodies to take note of the various ideas raised at the forum with regard to the bill of higher education.

The higher learning institutions have been entrusted with the Herculean task of producing trained and skilled professionals who could play a leading role in building a democratic culture and speed up economic development.

They have also agreed to conduct solution-oriented researches, promote democratic ideas and devise mechanisms to use the scarce resources in a judicious way.

Speaking at the conclusion of the forum Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said the government and the scholars have developed a common understanding on the various issues in the course of the discussion.

He said the forum has paved the way for the two sides to work in cooperation, in spite of their differences on some issues.

Speaking at a press conference president of AAU professor Eshetu Wochenko and others said the discussion has enabled the scholars and the government to hammer out their differences and work together.

The forum was productive and constructive as well as helped both sides to compromise and develop a national consensus, which they said was a missing ingredient, he said.

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