Education and Training in Ethiopia An Evaluation of Approaching EFA Goals

2 BACKGROUND OF THE EDUCATION SECTORThe educational sector in Ethiopia has been given powerful impetus after the overthrow ofthe military government in 1991. Since then education has been a development priority onthe national agenda. The Government of Ethiopia has developed Education Training Policy(ETP) and Education Sector Strategy in 1994 (Transitional Government of Ethiopia, 1994;Ministry of Education, 1996). The Government adopted the Education Sector DevelopmentProgramme (ESDP) in 1997 together with the Education Training Policy. Furthermore,Ethiopia is working towards achieving the EFA (Education For All) goals as defined in theEFA Dakar Framework in 2000. The illiteracy rate is still high at a rate of approximately 73per cent for females and 50 per cent for males.The educational policy goals, strategies and programmes are addressing the problemsof access, equity, quality, and relevance in education. Access to education in Ethiopia hasbeen one of the lowest in Africa. In 2003, the net primary-school enrolment rate (NER,referring to the relevant age group) (Grades 1-8) was 54.0 per cent for all students (47.2per cent for girls and 60.6 per cent for boys). The gross enrolment rate (GER), coveringoverage and evening programmes students, was 64.4 per cent for all students (53.8 percent for females and 74.6 per cent for males) (Ministry of Education, 1996).Nearly half of the Ethiopian primary school-aged children do not go to school. Lowenrolment levels are a result of children never entering school and of the cumulative effectof a high dropout rate in every grade of the primary cycle. Nevertheless, the primaryschoolenrolment has increased from 2,5 million in 1989/1990 to 7 million in 2001/2002.Figure 1 presents the trend in primary-education enrolment during the last ten years. Theenrolment rate for primary schools increased considerably in the times of peace inEthiopia.17