problem and prospects of education

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CHAPTER ONE1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Even though the history of education in Ethiopia dates as far back as the introduction of

Christianity in Ethiopia during Ezana in 3300A.D, the first attempt to open school of European

style was for the first time made by the Jesuit in the 16 th century. This attempt was not continued

due to the outstanding of Jesuits following the removal of emperor Susinyos.Toward the end of the 19th century, several factors accentuated the need for modern education.

The establishment of strong central government and permanent urban seats of modern

development of modern sector economy like manufacturing activities, establishment of foreign

embassies of Adwa, are, among others, the main factors that have contributed for thedevelopment of modern education in Ethiopia. Modern education has started at the beginning of

the 20th century and officially commenced in 1908 with opening of Menelik 1 st School in AddisAbaba. (Ministry of education, 2004),

Ethiopian education in general has two systems of main sub-sectors that are institutionally

separate:-

1. formal educational sub-sector, which consist of academic and technical and training atprimary, secondary and tertiary level ; and

2. non-formal education which includes:-

Technical vocational skills trained and extensive contact for youth and adults.Between 1962 and 1994 the general education in Ethiopia divided into three these are:-

-primary school (grade1-6)-junior secondary school (grade7-8)-senior secondary school (grade9-12)

Education reforms in 1994 revised the structure so that it now cons in 1994 revised the structure

and modify the previous system of education so after 1994 consists of primary education(grade1-8) which also consists of first cycle (grade 1-4) which aims at achieving the functional

literacy and the second cycles (grade5-8) prepares students for further education, general

secondary education and training, and second cycles of the secondary education (grade11-12),

that prepares student for higher education.

1.1.1. Educational policies and strategies in Ethiopia.

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Attempts to formulate the education sector policies during imperial regime were limited to a

proclamation (1943 and 1948) which deals with the organization and duties and responsibilities

of the ministry of education and its duties. It was made to adapt the Ethiopian education to theneeds of the country and expands the coverage of the activities in the provision of special

training for the sector and education system. (Ministry of Education of Ethiopia, 2004),

1.1.2. Performance of education sector in the Ethiopia.Education directly improves the productivity and rates of return and earnings of people. In

addition to this, education has or wide range of indirect effects, which instigate positive changes

in peoples attitudes toward work and society. It make easier to learn new skills throughout theirlives and hence facilitate their participation in modern economies and societies. It also important

factor which affects the healthand life expectancy of individuals, because if equips them with

the knowledge and the means to present control and direct disease. (Ministry of Education of

Ethiopia,2004)

1.1.3. Education in Oromia Regional states

Regarding to Oromia regional states of Ethiopia, it is one of the regions in the country where

both formal and non-formal education do not reach the majority of the population. The school in

the regions are unevenly distributed and mostly physically and materially and deteriorated. Thisdeterioration is due to cultural and other constraints there is a higher dropout rate at the lower

lower level which mostly affects girls participation in the education of the region. (Finance andDevelopment Bureau of Oromia, 2005),

Education system of Oromia regional state normally consists of formal and non-formal

education.

Formal education comprises of primary, secondary educations, technical and vocationaleducations. The data that recorded in 2005 in Oromia regional bureau of educations shows that,

two teachers training institute (TTI), four teachers training college (TTC), 38 technical and

vocational education training (TTET), of which 36 and 2 are government and non-governmentcenters respectively. Moreover, there are 164 secondary schools, and 4893 primary schools in the

Oromia regions.(Regional Education Bureau of Oromia,2005),

Education in Aweday town

Aweday town is one of the towns of the Eastern Hararge Zone of Oromia which is located

between Harar town and Haramaya town. In this town there are for primary schools and among

this only one primary school is owned by public and the other three are private owned schools.These four primary school are Dandi-Boru,

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1.2. Statement of the problems

The number of school going children is increasing from year to year. Here is a need to providethe educational facilities for them through opening of various types of educational institutions.

Because of different constraints like poverty, cultural factors majority of the population do not

send their children to school at distant place. The characteristics of education sector can beexpressed mainly in terms of accessibility, affordability, adequacy and quality. This factor can

affect school attainment through their effect on enrollment learning outcomes both directly and

indirectly through of their effects on school attendance. Private Tuitition and more generally the

learning enhancing behavior of children and their related home hold.Accessibility to schools usually determine by distance from home to school for children. Female

students enrollment is negatively affected by cultural and gender related problems.

1.3. Objectives of the study. The general objectives of this study are to be identifying the problems and prospects of education

in Ethiopia particularly in Aweday town. In addition to these general objectives there are otherspecific objectives these are:-

1. To study the existing availability and capacity of various types of educational institutions and

number of admission seekers in Aweday town.

2. To identify the problems of available institutions and their causes and effects.3. to explore the opportunities for expansion of various education in the near future.

1.4. Significance of the studyThis research is significant in that it can add as pot of information to the existing body of

knowledge on the educational sectors in general and on factors affecting the development of

education sectors in particular. Besides, the result of the findings of this research paper willserves as building block for any interested individuals or groups who are willing to carry out

further and detailed studies on related topics. And it could be help some how to imitate policy

concerns, which are necessary to tackle the problems of education.

1.5. Scope of the study.

As to the geographical coverage, this research is confined to the problems and prospects ofeducation in Aweday town in the year 2008. in terms of dimensional aspects of problems and

prospects of education it considers factors affecting prospects of educational sectors, on the other

hand focuses on the performance of educational sectors. The factors that affect prospects ofeducational sectors are have various constraints such as poverty, economic problems, family

related barriers, cultural constraints; school related problems are the main scope of this study.

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1.6. Limitation of the study

The one that most limiting factors for the study is that the data requirements are not fullysatisfied due to lack of time series data on the problems and prospects of education sectors in the

zone of eastern Hararge which may make the study

1.7. methodology of the study

1.7.1. Types and source of data.

On the problems and prospects of education, education bureau of Oromia, Federal ministry ofeducation, economic and development bureau of Aweday town, directors of kindergarten,

primary, secondary, high school and some written materials on educational problems and

prospects were used as a source of this study.

Regarding world problems and prospects the data that collected different documents likeinternet

CHAPTER TWO2. LITERATURE REVIEWSThis chapter contains two parts. The first part discussed related literatureswhich istheoretical while the second part explains empirical literature.

2.1. Theoretical literature2.1.1 Constraints on the impact of formal educationSome of the major factors influencing the provision of formal education andlimiting itseffectiveness for poor and disadvantaged people are1. Global economic relations: - these play a key role in determining theeffectiveness offormal education in achieving development for society as a whole. Even wherethe stateinvests heavily in education and is committed to social equality anddevelopment

2. Differentiated access and opportunities: - education promotes socialadvancement,raises the states of women and leads to improvements in health and childcare.However,educational opportunities is limited by the proximity to urban centers, poverty,and by

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discrimination based on gender, class race or cultures. For example, in CostaRica, thenational figures for adult illiteracy in 1984 were 7 percent, but in the poorestrural areaswas almost 20 percent. The discrimination suffered by the people because of

theircultures or limits their access to education and their opportunities to use iteffectively.They have to choose between potential alienation from their own culture, andthe need tomaster language and cultural forms of the dominant society in order to survivesuccessfully within it. These choices are experienced differently by women andmen.(Eade and William, 1995).

3. Gender: - this is crucial factor in determining educational opportunities;

girls oftenfore worse than boys interims of primary school enrollment. There areconsiderabledifferences in the level of the males and females education in most arts of theworld. Inthe Afghanistan, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Nepal, females illiteracy in1990was twice as high as the figures for males. In Salvadoran rural womensorganizationfounded by Oxfam only one percent of the members could read one percent ofthe

members could read and write. Bangladesh is an extreme example, where ofthe 60percent of all children who enroll fewer than 10 percent are girls the ratios aregenerallyworse at secondary level and above. Fewer than have as many girls as boys areenrolledin secondary school in Sub-Saharan Africa 15 percent and 44 percentrespectively. Thereare many factors for unequal educational opportunities of girls and boys.Mothers arelikely to have received inadequate schooling themselves, and their daughters

generallybear the burden of domestic work and childcare from an early age. Theexpectation ofearly marriage or (fact of teenage pregnancy) is also used to justify cuttingshort girlseducation. In self-fulfilling cycle, since greater employment opportunities existsfor men

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than women, boys education takes priority over girls education because theyare morelikely to be able to use it. Cultural factors can reinforce gender baseddiscriminationwomen are often regarded as bearers of traditional culture, particularly, culture

identifiesare threatened. In such circumstances, they may be formal education (Eade andWilliam,1995)

4. Poverty:-the poorest people are hardest hit inflation, unemployment, andcuts inservices. They cannot always afford to keep children at school, particularly atthe

secondary level. Costs of education including clothes, books, equipment and

maintenance, and fees. The economic difficulties of poor families increase thepressureon children to earn money either instead of or in addition to going to school. Afurtherformal education is irrelevant to their economic and cultural need which in oftenborn outby a chronic lack of employment opportunities which make use of skills gainedat school.In addition, poor children live in environment where study is difficult and where

poorhealth, over work, and malnutrition may leave them without energy andconcentration tolearn (Eade and William, 1995).2.1.2. The gender gap in education.Low adult literacy rates prevail throughout the developing world. In fourteendevelopingcountries where literacy date are available, only one in five adult women canread, whereas the literacy rates for men ate as low in only five of these countries. Recentestimates

suggest that only one out of two women in Asia is literate and only out of threein sub-Saharan Africa (UNESCO, 1992).School enrollment rates have been raising for both girls and boys at all levels inthe pasttwo decades. Primary school enrolment, in particular, has out paced the growthof youth

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population, although a few low income countries especially, in sub-SaharanAfricaexperienced decline in primary enrollments in the 1980s. (UNESCO, 1992).Many countries have no universal primary education for males and females. Butgirls

enrollments continuous to lag behind in many others, most dramatically insouth Asian,west Asia, north Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa. With exception of Sri Lanka, allsouth Asian nations have much lower gross enrollment ratios (GER) for girlsthan for boys.In Bhutan, girls enrollment in 1983 was 19 percent compared to 34 percent forboys; in Nepal, 49 percent for girls and compared with 110 percent for boys, inPakistan, 38 percent versus 73 percent; in Bangladesh, 50 percent versus 110percent. Where as in Latin America and nearly all east Asia countries such largemale-female differences had disappeared by 1985 (UNESCO,1992).

At post primary levels, the gender gap widens in some countries, but

narrows in others, why does the gender gap exist? The supply of schools hasexpanded greatly in the past twenty five years, leading to accommodating theincrease in primary school enrollment over that period. Moreover, there are fewrestrictions to the admission of girls at the primary school level. To understandwhy, despite this expansion, a large proportion of school or dropout early inmany developing countries, one need to consider the many factors affect theeducation of girls and boys differently. For many families the differed possiblebenefits do not seem large enough to offset immediate costs like school fees orthe loss of child labor parents do not often consider the less obvious benefitsthat education generates (like improved productivity ) when deciding whetherto send children to school or to favor sons, partly because

2.1.3 Gender literacy and cultural differenceGender literacy and cultural difference one area of apparent controllersconcerns theextent to which the obstacles to girls and womens education are similar acrosscultures.One view is that in all cultures, although in varying degree, male/femalerelationshipplace obstacles in the way of girls and womens full participation in education.Patriarchy is manifested in two ways: the sexual division of labor, and control

overwomens sexuality. Both these factors so condition a womens world-view thatmarriage,husband, and family become the be-all and-all for the existence. They also limitwomensmental horizons and push education from her attention. As girls grow up,socialized into

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their future roles as sexual division of labor the second components, controloverwomens sexuality, ensures that women maintain their roles as wives andmothers and isthe cause of womens inability to control their fertility and its associated

consequences,including unwanted pregnancies, the practice of early marriage, restrictedphysicalmobility for women, and domestic violence. (UNESCO, 1992),Who benefits from all this? Whose interests are served as by these existingconditions?In feminist theory, it is undoubtedly men who benefit. Does this mean thatfeminists aresetting women against men and women and men against women? The answeris no mostfeminists seem to be seeking a more egalitarian society in which women are

treated asequals with men According to feminist theory, the problem of womensilliteracy willnot be solved merely underlying problem is not technical. For change to occur,individualmen in a male-dominated state will have to re-examine and modify their ownvalues andattitudes.An alternative view is that cultural difference between countries is moreimportant thansome feminist would accept. For example, successful literacy ventures in

Pakistan areoften community based; the important thing is to change total attitudes. InFeriur-banKarachi this has been done.Successfully using flexible working hours both formal and non-formal teachingmethods,and education both parents and children, adults are motivated to learn viaprimaryeconomic interests (functional literacy) who has become the subject of the basiceducation curriculum. Residential facilities for teachers based in communityhave led to

greater school community interaction and help facilitates more opportunities forgirls andfor more women. The whole programme has helped produce a positive,confident selfconcept of women. However, cultural constraints are undeniably powerful. For,example,the word child, which is gender is neutral in English language, has masculine

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connection in south Asia. Here the stark reality is that, by and large, girls aredenied thatjoyful care free period of growing and learning that is called child hood. Verylittle valueis attached to girls she is caught in a men of cultural practices and social

prejudices fromthe moment of her birth. Although she works twice as hard as her brother, andher laborcontributes to the survival of the family, neglect and malnutrition, treated aslesser humanbeing and brought up to believe that she does not count. Therefore, in anysociety thataims to social justice in any policy that seeks to move towards quality ofeducationalopportunity, attention has to be focused is contrary to entrenched culturalvalues. Changes

in education that do not enhance the states of women are not likely either to begenerallyaccepted or to reduce womens present state of under development.

2.1.4. Problems that female student face in Addis Ababa high schoolsAnother researcher (Emebet, 2003) classified problems of girls education undersubheadings of economic constraints, family related barriers and culturalbarrierseconomic constraints.

The impact of poverty on womens education can be studied at two levels:Country level and family level. Although the degree of poverty in country affectstheeducation and in general the life of its citizens, the effect can be moderated bythe socioeconomicstatus a family has within the society (Emebet, 2003 p.33)In discussing the effects of poverty on the education of women, Njeuman (1993)explained that much improvement has been observed in the education ofwomen since the1960s (Emebet, 2003). However, poverty is still slowing the progress.Discussing

African, the pointed out that among thirty poorest countries in the world, twentyarefound in Africa. Under these circumstances, the major concern is the provisionofeducation for children in general; it is difficult to give special attention to girls,she

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further pointed out that although many developing countries put sign outamounts ofmoney and energy into education, several of them were not able to provide itfor allschool age children. (Emebet, 2003 p.34),

Enrollment of girls in school does not guarantee success and completion inthese poorcountries. Strongest (1990) noted that in all developing countries were theUnited Nationsunder took studies, during recession years; girls often experienced a change inparentalplans for enrollment. In such years parents choose retain daughters at homeassist withwork and income generating activities, which would result in lower femaleattainment.(Emebet, 2000).

Because of this fiscal strait, the inequality of males and females in the area ofeducationis quite staggering. Hyde (1993:101) pointed out that in Sub-Saharan Africa,one of themost enduring kinds of educational inequality is one observed between malesandfemales

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problem and prospects of education

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