Ambitious Plans—Poor Outcomes:The Politics of Education Reform in Ethiopia

This report looks at the politics of education reform—briefly in the Imperial regime (through 1974) but mostly in the Derg regime (through 1991) and the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) regime (after 1991), which switched from a coalition of ethnic and regional parties to a unified Prosperity Party in 2018. For all three regimes, education policy has been a top priority, which they tackled immediately on coming to power. For example, the EPRDF developed its Education and Training Policy even before drafting and adopting a constitution. Meanwhile, the current ruling party, the Prosperity Party, started implementing the reform agenda of the Education Development Roadmap before it officially transformed itself from a coalition of parties (the EPRDF) to a unified party (Prosperity Party). Education policymaking in Ethiopia has been narrow, with little to no genuine consultation with major stakeholders. Donors, because of their financing, were able to have a modest impact on policies. Parents, teachers’ unions, civil societies, and opposition political parties have had limited impact. But such stakeholders have had more influence in times of political crisis. Accordingly, some opposition parties have been able to challenge the Education Development Roadmap given the multifaceted political crisis that hit the country in the post-2015 period. The quality of teachers as well as their socio-economic status declined across the three regimes. Despite the introduction of a career path with modest financial incentives after 1991, the socio-economic status of teachers has not improved, partly a result of inflationary pressures on salaries. Teacher quality has declined with the recruitment of unqualified and underqualified candidates as the demand for teachers rose with expanded access to education. Examinations have remained similar, certifying completion and guiding placement, and curricula have been designed to achieve national policy objectives. Mother tongue education at the primary level serves the goal of self-rule and autonomy for ethnonational groups.