Excellent Ethiopia Education Facts That Will Surprise You!

Two education system types prevail in Ethiopia.

The first is called traditional education, while the second is modern education. Traditional education has its roots in Islam and Christianity, while modern education was introduced by emperors Haile Selassie I and Menilek II.

Ethiopia's education system is said to be a developing one. It is believed that through educating the country's young people, Ethiopia can rise out of poverty in the future. For doing so, integration with the host communities of Ethiopia is essential. Let us learn what measures the government is taking in this regard to provide the children of Ethiopia with a better education.

Government Contribution In Education Policy

The most significant step taken by the Ethiopian government is that it has made education the item of primary importance in its federal budget. For the academic year 2015-2016, the government of Ethiopia spent 24.2% of its total budget on education. In the following year, that is 2016-17, the funds allocated towards education stood at ETB 92.9 billion, which was a 5% increase from the previous year's ETB 88.6 billion.

Even though the EFA (Education for All) had an earlier estimate of allocating 20% of the budget towards education, the actual spending on general education was higher by 4%. Due to the government's involvement and policies, primary schools' education has become more accessible. The enrollment rates of these schools have also gone up.

However, the government is yet to improve the state of higher education and the secondary school system. A new curriculum has been suggested, but this requires planning and resources. The new curriculum put forward by the government of this country can be instrumental in improving the significance and quality of education. In October 2018, the government also founded the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Private Sector Contribution

Only recently, provisions were made for partnerships between public and private firms to support the Ethiopian school system. The government laid the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) Proclamation in February 2018. This was a legal framework that recognized the importance of private sectors when it came to academics, whether it be at a primary level or higher academics.

Private sectors are believed to support the economy of the country as well. They do so by increasing the levels of transparency, value for money, fairness, long-term sustainability, and efficiency. The introduction of private sectors to the school system also helps to take a step towards reducing the public debt. The private firms are also responsible for assisting the public firms in finance, maintenance, operations, and construction works, as part of the partnership.

Private schools in African countries are said to be of five distinct types: community school, spontaneous school, expatriate private school, religious school, and profit-making school. Studies show that students who graduated from a private school went to bag more achievements than the ones who graduated from a public school.

Primary Vs. Secondary Education

The public school system in Ethiopia is free of cost for all students studying under it. This applies to the school system in both rural areas and urban areas. Unlike secondary school, primary school is compulsory for all kids between the ages of 7-12 years. Primary school continues for eight years, whereas secondary school is for four years. Within these four years, there are two cycles of a couple of years each.

While the primary school sees more enrollment rates, it is not the same for the secondary school. Primary school is more accessible to the students. The number of secondary schools is less than private schools. As a result, secondary schools see a fall in the rate of enrollments. Many children drop out in the second cycle of secondary education as well. As opposed to the two-year cycles in the secondary school, the primary school has two cycles of four years each. In primary schools, there is an enrollment of more than 90% of the seven-year-old children of the country. However, approximately half of the children drop out after the fourth standard, which is after the end of the first cycle.

 Despite its challenges, since 1994, the enrollment rate in primary schools has shot up five-fold. Compared to 5 million children in primary schools back in 2000, there are currently 14 million children enrolled in primary schools.

FAQs

Why is education so bad in Ethiopia?

The primary cause for poor education in Ethiopia is the lack of financial stability.

What has Ethiopia done to improve education?

The first step that Ethiopia has taken to improve its education sector is that the country has made its public schools more accessible.

What is the education rate in Ethiopia?

As per UNESCO, the education rate or the adult literacy rate in Ethiopia as of 2017 is 51.77%.

Is education free in Ethiopia?

Primary education is free of cost for children in Ethiopia. However, secondary education and higher studies cost money.

How many schools are in Ethiopia?

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Education, there were 2,826 private schools in Ethiopia as of 2017.

What resources does Ethiopia have for quality education?

Ethiopia is trying to provide its children with quality education by allocating more funds from its budget towards education development. The government has also introduced partnerships between private and public firms in this regard.

Who is in charge of education in Ethiopia?

Samuel Urkato, who is the minister of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, is responsible for education in Ethiopia.

What are the major concerns of the education system of Ethiopia?

The major problems with education in Ethiopia lie in infrastructure, facilities, and funding. The classrooms in Ethiopia are overcrowded, which means that the number of children or students exceeds the number of classrooms by quite a lot. There are not enough classrooms to appropriately accommodate all these children or students. The students are often not well-prepared or unwilling to learn. Teacher training also lacks efficiency as compared to other countries. This has led to a scarcity of qualified teachers among the teaching staff.