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The Medal of Scholarship

Originated in 1959 by Emperor Haile Selassie, primarily to recognise teachers, has been sustained by the Crown Council to recognise the achievement of Ethiopians, and those teaching in Ethiopia

The Medal of Scholarship

The Medal of Scholarship, originated in 1959 by Emperor Haile Selassie, primarily to recognise teachers, has been sustained by the Crown Council to recognise the achievement of Ethiopians, and those teaching in Ethiopia or involved in Ethiopian scholarship, the arts or science.The oval-shaped medal shows on its obverse centre an open book, with stems of corn or wheat on either side, and with a rising sun above clouds situated above the book.1Medal in the possession of the author. Surmounting this is a Crown topped with a small cross.

An inscription in Amharic surrounds the image: “Education is the laurel of the wise man”. At the foot of the obverse, in Amharic, is the date 1952 [Ethiopian calendar]. The medal is joined to its riband by a small Imperial crown and fixed loop. The reverse features Amharic text around the top of the Medal, saying “Emperor Haile Selassie I, and at its base the words, in Amharic, “Scholarship Medal” or “Teachers Medal”, depending on the translation.

Within the surrounding text is the three-pointed cross of the Trinity within a trilobe pattern. At the base of the design, in Ge‘ez, are the words “Go and Teach”. The medal is in a silver finish, and the riband is light green with two vertical stripes of rich purple. The award carries no post-nominal initials.