The Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap In the Eyes of NGOs

October 18 – 19, 2018

Mezemir Girma

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

About the report:

This report has been compiled to inform the South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) of the Roadmap. Since the institute is working in Ethiopia, it needs information about the roadmap.

About the compiler:

Mezemir Girma represents SAIDE in Ethiopia in their project African Storybook Initiative (ASb) which can be accessed on africanstorybook.org.

The Roadmap:

It is expected to go operational from 2018 - 2030 to reform “the education sector in accordance with the national vision and national development goals.”  The roadmap was prepared by a team of experts who used “desk review, benchmarking visits and field data on educational practices and implementation.”

Components:

This report focuses on pre-primary education since this is ASb’s main focus. However, one should note that the roadmap covers all aspects of education in the country.

The Procedure of the Workshop:

On the first day, Thursday, October 18, 2018, officials from the ministry of education (MoE) gave a PowerPoint presentation on the overall roadmap. The afternoon of this first day and the morning of the second day were allotted to group discussion. Two groups were formed and the participants had discussions on the contents of the roadmap. In the late morning of Friday, October 19, the two groups met and their chairs presented a summary of the discussion. A report was given to the ministry officials and the meeting was finalized. The discussants did not receive a copy of the roadmap file beforehand. Therefore, the discussion was mainly based on the PowerPoint presentation.

Pre-school Policy and Curriculum:

Non-governmental organizations’ (NGO) representatives inquired if the MoE has a clear policy on KG learning because it should have one. In the report only the New Early Child Care and Education Policy Framework (NECCEPF) (MoE, 2010) which is prepared by a group of ministries is mentioned. As to NGOs the community should be convinced on preschool.

O Class:

The issue of O class has been a point of contention. It is a major challenge as there are disparities and unclear policy guidelines among regions. Also called ‘school readiness program’ it is commendable as it saves children from straight grade one. As in the country pre-primary education has been left for the advantaged few in towns and cities, this scheme is an alternative. “What is the difference between O class and kindergarten?” asked participants.

Teacher Training:

The lack of adequate teacher training on pre-school has also been raised. The roadmap lacks clarity and credibility as there are less tangible plans with an inadequate budget. Participants asked, “Is there any preschool teachers’ training college in the country?”

Medium of Instruction:

The study found out that in pre-school 85 percent of the lesson is in mother tongue and 15 percent in Amharic in emerging regions used. These emerging regions use Amharic as a medium even if it is not the children’s mother tongue.  The roadmap recommends that the teachers should be trained in a language which is the children’s mother-tongue.

Kindergarten Textbooks:

Different organizations, private kindergartens, community schools and others are using their own textbooks. There should be a strict guideline on this.

Age Six:

The NGOs commented, “The suggested grade one starting age of six should be revised or justified as the kids do not cope-up with the lesson. What is your justification?” It was at seven years of age that children enroll in elementary schools. The suggested six years of age is debatable.

School Distance:

Since the farmers need their children nearby to keep their houses or animals, schools should be built at walking distance from home. As 85 percent of the schools in the country are in the rural areas, the roadmap should consider them. 

The Near Future:

The ministry aspires to involve all stakeholders in discussions and improve the document. Some aspects of the roadmap seem to be implemented at this time too.

Conclusion:

The African Storybook Initiative (ASb) recommends the application of well-researched reforms in the education sector. The fact that the reform goes in line with national and international development and educational goals is commendable. We hope that the gaps and shortcomings are addressed.