Education in Ethiopia : from crisis to the brink of collapse

The main focus of the study is the deepening crisis of the Ethiopian education system. This study reconstructs the growth of the crisis of the sector during the last four decades. It then discusses the implications of the crisis in terms of communication breakdown; absence of analytical capacity at system level; the fragmentation of society; loss of political legitimacy and perpetuation of authoritarian power. Although the education sector has greatly expanded its mpact on poverty alleviation has so far been insignificant. The poverty landscape has changed to the worse during the last fifty years. This is largely due to the fact that the Ethiopian education system is based on false premises. At the centre of the crisis is the use of English as medium of instruction. The proficiency in English is so low that its continued use as a medium of instruction can only lead to the collapse of the education system. The study argues that it is only through language (readily understood and practised) that collective life and the world can be interpreted in an integrated manner. The replacement of English by Ethiopian languages all the way from the primary to tertiary levels is one of the factors that could strengthen the survival potential of the Ethiopian political community. The study is relevant for policy makers and students of development studies on the role of education in social change in Africa south of the Sahara.  CONTENT -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Context, scope -- I. Education and Development in Ethiopia: The history of dubious correlation -- II. Expansion, crisis and collapse -- III. Constructing a positive role for education in economic and social transformation -- Strengthen the educational process through transparency and inclusion -- Concluding remarksReference

Rethinking education in Ethiopia

Only 20 percent of the school-age population in Ethiopia have access to primary education. This study attempts to explore an alternative strategy as regards expansion of literacy and the fulfilment of educational and developmental needs. It argues that the strategy of non-formal education is in both cases a far better alternative.Contents: 1. Introduction -- 2. Non-Formal Education: What It is and What It is Not -- 3. Bilateral Donors and the Ethiopian Education System -- 4. The Profile of the Education Sector as seen by USAID and ANDP – 5. The New Ethiopian Education and Training Policy -- 6. Conclusion: Let the Formal Education Sector Defend Itself. Invest in the Non-Formal Education </p