Poor resources hinder academic growth in Ethiopia

By Mr. Noel Okoth,

All Africa News Agency

Ten years ago, Ethiopia joined 155 countries of the world at Jomtein,

Thailand and committed herself to universal access to primary education by

the year 2000.

The country also undertook to eradicate adult illiteracy within the

decade, expand education and training in essential skills and improve early

childhood care and developmental activities. But despite Jomtein's lofty

ideas, many people are still excluded at all levels of education.

And this is not because Ethiopia had not been trying. Immense progress

has been made characteristically pushing literacy level from less than 35

percent in 1990 to about 65 percent.

According to World Bank education researchers, this is no mean task

for a country frequently hit by famine and local armed opposition

movements. Economic performance is also marred by drought and

environment degradation while the current war with Eritrea has not been

conducive to Ethiopia's attempts to attain Education for All.

Characteristically in Ethiopia, and indeed many other countries in

Sub-Saharan Africa, the crucial challenge facing education is linked to

limitation of resources. Severe economic constraints have prevented most

African countries to respond adequately to rising demands for improved

social services in education and health.

"For decades now there has been a scramble for meager financial

resources in Ethiopia among contending social sectors," says Ingemar

Gustafsson, Director of Education of the Swedish International Development

Cooperation Agency. Throughout the 1990s the ominous choice has been

whether teaching the alphabet should take precedence over planting trees

or providing basic health services to children and expectant mothers

threatened by high morbidity and mortality.

Even under those harsh choices Ethiopia is spending four percent of its

Gross National Product GNP on education. Enrolment particularly at the

primary level has shot up with 55 percent of enrolled pupils from each

cohort attaining five years of education.

Whereas for decades education suffered from internal weaknesses, the

government has moved to eradicate disparities and unevenness existing

between genders, rural and urban areas. The number of girls enrolled in

primary has risen to 40 percent in 1997 from 30 percent in1990.

The number of girls enrolled in secondary has steadily risen to 43

percent in 1997 as compared to less than 30 percent ten years ago.

Statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that transition rates from

primary level to secondary among girls have considerably improved.

However, the government with assistance from the World Bank has

embarked on a massive project worth US $ 100 million towards erasing the

existing gaps in enrolment and achievement between boys and girls.

"Investment in girls' education in Ethiopia as elsewhere in Sub-Saharan

Africa is expected to increase women's labor force participation rates and

earnings," says Dr Ruth Kagia, Manager at World Bank's Human

Development Unit.

Consequently, girls' education would eventually result to women having

fewer children, lower infant, child and maternal mortality rates create

inter-generation educational gains and yield significant environment

benefits. It would also lead to reduction in health costs and eventually

improve living standards and quality of lives among Ethiopian communities.

Towards improvement of girls' education, the government will spend

project resources in providing incentives for gender attendance.

"Scholarships, textbooks, school meals and basic health care will be

provided as well as improving the quality of schools' infrastructure and

relevance of education," says Dr Kagia.

The government is also sensitising parents and communities on

importance of girls' education by accommodating salient socio-cultural

values. Supportive national policies that target girls' education have been

put in place, as well as eradicating gender biases in labour market.

Equally important, the curriculum has been reformed with each of 14

provinces allowed to chose the language of instruction in schools. In

accordance with the new changes, several local languages have been

introduced to replace Amharic as language of instruction in primary schools

where Amharic is not the mother tongue.

So far, Oromigna, Tigrina, Welaitigna and Sidamigna have been adapted

as medium of instruction in various provinces for grades 1-6. Similarly

Arabic is being used as the language of communication in schools in

Benishangul province, where it is widely used. For the first time in the

history of Ethiopia, several local languages apart from Amharic are being

used as medium of instruction in schools. They are also examinable

subjects of the curriculum.

Undoubtedly Ethiopia's education programme has been under intense

pressure to produce teachers capable of teaching regional and national

languages. So far English has replaced Amharic as lingua franca and as

medium of instruction in secondary schools.

Moving towards a multi-lingual education system has not been so easy

for Ethiopia. Teachers and supervisory staff had to be trained or transferred

to their own regions or areas where they can teach in the national

languages. Rapid expansion of education has marked an increase in

average class sizes all over the country.

Even so, disparities are severe between urban and rural schools and

different grades. Ostensibly urban schools are under great pressure and

class sizes in the lower grades can well be over 70 pupils. "Lowest grades

are the most crowded and significantly contribute to the high rate of attrition

in grades 1-3 both in rural and urban schools," say education officials.

Whereas the government continues to build more learning facilities in

commitment to Education For All, the supply has failed to match the

demand for schools. An inevitable outcome is that quality of education is

drastically compromised in favour of equity by bringing as many pupils as

possible into the education programme.

However, in this dilemma, Ethiopia is not alone since many countries in

Sub-Saharan Africa are faced by the task of improving the quality while

addressing the issue of equity. The emerging scenario is that the

government has taken remedies towards improving quality of education.

Self-reliant communities are being involved in supporting programmes

through contributions in labour, cash and kind. This phenomenon has

proved to be encouraging especially at the non-formal education

programmes, where the growing enrolment rate of neo-literate continues to

create a bulge at elementary school level. Similar strategies are also being

adapted at early childhood education and care programmes across the

country.

Besides, teacher education has improved considerably with teacher-pupil

ratio standing at 1:38 in primary school and 1:32 in secondary. Deficiencies

in teacher education are also being addressed through teacher training and

in-service training schemes.

On economic terms, Ethiopia may be a poor country, but it has put a

strong struggle in a campaign to empower its people through education.

Jomtein's ideals might be hard to accomplish but, Ethiopia is quietly giving

its people tools to change their world.