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Educating Ethiopia: Quality or political control?
12 November, 2010 (By Uduak Amimo)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private educators in Ethiopia have welcomed a grace period
that allows them to demonstrate how they intend to comply
with the government's new education policy to increase
student enrolment in science and technology courses.
Ethiopia's Education Minister Demeke Mekonnen says it will make
students more employable and service the country's development
aspirations: Improving the quality of education in the country is one
of the goals of the country's new five-year growth and
transformation plan.
also been instructed not to carry any advertisements for enrolment
in private institutions.
The directive also stopped private institutions from offering teaching
and law courses. In both instances, the reason given by the ministry
of education was poor quality.
Critics of the government claim that the directives are intended to
drive students to public institutions where they will be trained to
think along government lines and become members of the
governing coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF).
Mr Demeke told the BBC that accusation was "wrong, absolutely,
wrong".
He says private institutions are needed in Ethiopia to cope with the
growing numbers of secondary school leavers.
"Equitable approach is our fundamental principle and practice,
addressing and narrowing the gap between the males and the girls
and addressing the marginalised areas like the pastoralists, that is
our main, main task," he says.
"For this social group, addressing quality education, whether they
are members of the EPRDF or not, that is the issue of every citizen.
"In this regard every citizen is concerned about quality; they are
concerned about some irresponsible institutions who are
undermining quality."
Face-to-face
Mr Demeke also says there is no ban on distance education, all that
happened was a halt to new admissions for quality assessments.
The training of teachers in private institutions is poor, he adds.
"When the education sector and the whole system evaluated school
performance at different levels, those teachers coming from the
private sector did not know about pedagogy and basic principles of
teaching," he says.
"Due to that, the government decided to strengthen the public
teacher-training institutions towards the expected standard and the
government declared those teachers coming from private sector -
the government decided not to hire them."
Distance learning is the preferred alternative for Ethiopia's adult
students, most of those who work and cannot attend classes or live
in remote areas with no access to higher education.
Mr Demeke did not say how long the review of distance education
providers would take.
Students interested in tertiary education would have access to
regular or face-to-face courses in both public and private
institutions, he said.
Ethiopia is one of the few African countries on track to meet the
United Nations Millennium Development Goal of providing
universal access to primary education.
New schools have been built and there are no fees for primary and
secondary schooling. Enrolment has jumped as a result.
But over a decade ago, there were hardly any colleges or
universities, so private institutions stepped in to fill the gap.
Laboratory expenses
Ethiopia has about 65 degree-offering private institutions, with
about 55,000 students.
In contrast, there are more than 20 public universities in the country
with close to 300,000 students enrolled.
None of the officials at the private institutions I approached would
speak to me on the record about the education ministry's directive.
They all said the issue was too sensitive and they did not want to
jeopardise their negotiations with the government.
However, their complaints about not being given any transition
period resulted in the government's new directive, they said.
Institutions that provide only distance education can apply to switch
to face-to-face learning; they must also provide a business plan
within six months expressing a commitment to enrol 70% of their
new students in science and technology courses and 30% in social
sciences.
New institutions, branches and programmes can also open as long
as they also provide a business plan and show that they will adopt
the 70:30 enrolment ratio in favour of science and technology
courses over two years.
But this grace period raises even more questions for private
institutions: Where will they find qualified science and technology
instructors with two degrees or more? How can they afford to
import the laboratory equipment and machinery needed for science
courses?
I asked a few job-seeking Ethiopians for their views on the
directives on education.
Some welcomed the ministry's intervention "to ensure the quality of
education in all areas".
Another told me that "the advantages outweigh the disadvantages"
because the risk of plagiarism was higher in distance education.
The sole dissenting voice told me it was a bad decision that
stopped people from "improving their lives".
.Courtesy
12 November, 2010 (By Uduak Amimo)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Private educators in Ethiopia have welcomed a grace period
that allows them to demonstrate how they intend to comply
with the government's new education policy to increase
student enrolment in science and technology courses.
Ethiopia's Education Minister Demeke Mekonnen says it will make
students more employable and service the country's development
aspirations: Improving the quality of education in the country is one
of the goals of the country's new five-year growth and
transformation plan.
- Ethiopia, one of the world's
poorest countries but also
one of Africa's fastest-
growing economies, hopes
to become a middle-
income country by the year
2020.
- But there has been a lot of
confusion surrounding the
ministry's directive.
- Local media reported in
August that the education
ministry had banned
distance education.
- It was reported that no
also been instructed not to carry any advertisements for enrolment
in private institutions.
The directive also stopped private institutions from offering teaching
and law courses. In both instances, the reason given by the ministry
of education was poor quality.
Critics of the government claim that the directives are intended to
drive students to public institutions where they will be trained to
think along government lines and become members of the
governing coalition, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary
Democratic Front (EPRDF).
Mr Demeke told the BBC that accusation was "wrong, absolutely,
wrong".
He says private institutions are needed in Ethiopia to cope with the
growing numbers of secondary school leavers.
"Equitable approach is our fundamental principle and practice,
addressing and narrowing the gap between the males and the girls
and addressing the marginalised areas like the pastoralists, that is
our main, main task," he says.
"For this social group, addressing quality education, whether they
are members of the EPRDF or not, that is the issue of every citizen.
"In this regard every citizen is concerned about quality; they are
concerned about some irresponsible institutions who are
undermining quality."
Face-to-face
Mr Demeke also says there is no ban on distance education, all that
happened was a halt to new admissions for quality assessments.
The training of teachers in private institutions is poor, he adds.
"When the education sector and the whole system evaluated school
performance at different levels, those teachers coming from the
private sector did not know about pedagogy and basic principles of
teaching," he says.
"Due to that, the government decided to strengthen the public
teacher-training institutions towards the expected standard and the
government declared those teachers coming from private sector -
the government decided not to hire them."
Distance learning is the preferred alternative for Ethiopia's adult
students, most of those who work and cannot attend classes or live
in remote areas with no access to higher education.
Mr Demeke did not say how long the review of distance education
providers would take.
Students interested in tertiary education would have access to
regular or face-to-face courses in both public and private
institutions, he said.
Ethiopia is one of the few African countries on track to meet the
United Nations Millennium Development Goal of providing
universal access to primary education.
New schools have been built and there are no fees for primary and
secondary schooling. Enrolment has jumped as a result.
But over a decade ago, there were hardly any colleges or
universities, so private institutions stepped in to fill the gap.
Laboratory expenses
Ethiopia has about 65 degree-offering private institutions, with
about 55,000 students.
In contrast, there are more than 20 public universities in the country
with close to 300,000 students enrolled.
None of the officials at the private institutions I approached would
speak to me on the record about the education ministry's directive.
They all said the issue was too sensitive and they did not want to
jeopardise their negotiations with the government.
However, their complaints about not being given any transition
period resulted in the government's new directive, they said.
Institutions that provide only distance education can apply to switch
to face-to-face learning; they must also provide a business plan
within six months expressing a commitment to enrol 70% of their
new students in science and technology courses and 30% in social
sciences.
New institutions, branches and programmes can also open as long
as they also provide a business plan and show that they will adopt
the 70:30 enrolment ratio in favour of science and technology
courses over two years.
But this grace period raises even more questions for private
institutions: Where will they find qualified science and technology
instructors with two degrees or more? How can they afford to
import the laboratory equipment and machinery needed for science
courses?
I asked a few job-seeking Ethiopians for their views on the
directives on education.
Some welcomed the ministry's intervention "to ensure the quality of
education in all areas".
Another told me that "the advantages outweigh the disadvantages"
because the risk of plagiarism was higher in distance education.
The sole dissenting voice told me it was a bad decision that
stopped people from "improving their lives".
.Courtesy
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