How Africa News
Ethiopia has shut down its internet in a bid to preserve the national school exams ongoing across the country.
Internet monitoring platform, NetBlocks reports that “Ethiopia’s internet has been totally cut off as of 7:30 a.m. UTC 11 June 2019.”
In previous years, Ethiopia has blocked the internet when the Grade 10 and 12 exams are being written. The exams are for entrance into universities and national vocational courses.
In 2017, Mohammed Seid, of the then Office for Government Communications Affairs said of the internet blockage: “The shutdown is aimed at preventing a repeat of leaks that occurred last year.”
“We are being proactive. We want our students to concentrate and be free of the psychological pressure and distractions that this brings,” Seid had told Reuters.
