Teachers Survival Struggle for Life and Educational Challenges in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a country in East Africa with a population of over 100 million people. The country has made significant progress in expanding access to education over the past few decades. However, despite these efforts, the education system in Ethiopia faces several challenges, which have hindered its ability to provide quality education to all students. In this article, we will explore some of the major challenges facing the education system in Ethiopia. Students in Ethiopia often struggle with basic literacy and numeracy skills, and the country’s education system has been criticized for being rote-based and lacking in creativity.
Section 1: Teachers struggle for life and burdens (Gemeda, F. T., & Tynjälä, P, 2015)
Teachers in Ethiopian government schools face various challenges: a low salary that barely covers rent or living expenses, low levels of respect from the society, a lack of housing opportunities, adequate infrastructure and helpful training opportunities, In discussing the challenges of teachers development, the respondents unanimously remarked that the remuneration of teachers is an issue that should be raised as a part of the reform agenda. They further explained that their monthly income runs out before the month ends without even covering their living expenses. The respondents indicated that, owing to this, the basic needs (foods, shelter and clothing), that are fundamental for survival were not being met. The participants’ explained that, this has a devastating effect on the quality of the instruction they deliver and jeopardises the future of the profession. Here are examples of excerpts highlighting these concerns:
The government ‘talked’ too much about the school reform agenda. However, teachers, one of the most important components in an education system, were ignored. Their worries, concerns and problems were disregarded. Economically teachers are in a bad situation. They are not able to cover their monthly living expenses. Imagine the instruction that teachers deliver in the classroom while lacking access to basic requirements such as food, shelter and clothing. Think of what develops in students’ minds, particularly regarding the teaching profession, when they see teachers starved of food, always wearing the same clothes, looking physically unattractive.(FGD 1) Currently, teachers don’t want to stay in the profession because they are paid a low salary and the profession is unfairly disrespected. This significantly affects teachers’ motivation to continue in the profession. Owing to this, the majority of teachers are looking for other types of jobs and others are attending university education in other fields of study in order to leave the profession by widening their scope for job opportunities.(Teacher 3)
The goal of improving schools will remain unmet unless the government reconsiders the salary structure for teachers, and supports them morally and materially. Besides, it is impossible to attract better candidates to the teacher training program if teachers’ salary is low compared to that of other government employees. Those in the profession are also looking for other better paying jobs…(ED 3)
The data suggests the following important understandings about the issue under consideration. First, in Ethiopia, the teaching profession is often considered as a kind of bridge occupation in which young people stay only until they find a better job or study place. Second, teachers do not enjoy the advantages that other civil servants enjoy. Third, teachers seem to be disinterested, and demotivated, and some have even developed hatred toward their profession. Fourth, teachers shift their focus from providing quality instruction to ways by which they can get out of the profession and gain a better income in their quest to meet their and their family’s basic needs. Moreover, during the data collection process of this research there were dozens of mass teacher protests and strikes in some parts of the country, mainly in big cities and towns, demanding better salaries and working conditions.
ii. Intensification of teachers work
The participants gave several accounts of their experiences of increasing and intensified teaching workloads. They explained that the increase and intensification of teachers’ workload not only impede their participation in professional development but also causes them to lose their focus, since they are distracted by multiple, contradictory and often confusing demands. The participants pointed out that the reasons for the increased workload were changes in the demographic characteristics of students, changes to assessment procedures, the intensification of non-instructional duties, and the curriculum content too broad. The following excerpts highlight these concerns of the participants:
The reality on the ground is not favoring the engagement of teachers in professional development. The classrooms are overcrowded, and consequently we have to assess a lot of students and keep their profile. The curriculum content is very broad, so we have to rush to cover it. We are also overloaded with non-instructional duties, such as organising clubs, participating in different meetings, engaging in various committees.
So, we are very stressed, confused and in a dilemma over what to do and what not to do. (Teacher 9)
We have an average of 60 students in every classroom. I was teaching seven sections, which means I was in contact with 420 students. So, imagine how difficult it was to follow the progress of each and every student, assessing them on a continuous basis, identifying needy students and providing the necessary support. That is why the CPD program became another, additional burden for us.(Teacher 1)
We were overloaded with multiple tasks. For instance, I was teaching 25 hours a week, preparing lesson plans, tutoring students, and coordinating extracurricular activities. We were overloaded. We were in a difficult situation, making it hard to help our students as we were being bombarded by different tasks and responsibilities. Accordingly, it was difficult for us to find time for the CPD program. (Teacher 8)
The experiences of the respondents indicate that teachers’ workload were increased and intensified, causing them to be stressed; and it negatively affected their participation in professional development. Apple (2000) stated that intensification is one of the most tangible ways in which the working conditions of teachers are eroded. Correspondingly, Fullan (2007) reported that teacher stress and alienation are at an all-time high, judging from the increase in work-related illness, and the numbers of teachers leaving or wanting to leave the profession.
Access to Education
Access to education is a major challenge in Ethiopia, particularly in rural areas. The country has made significant progress in expanding access to education, with primary school enrollment rates increasing from 20% in 1991 to over 90% in recent years. However, access to education remains limited in rural areas, where schools are often underfunded and understaffed, and students may have to travel long distances to attend school.
To address this challenge, the Ethiopian government has introduced policies aimed at expanding access to education in rural areas. For example, the government has introduced programs to build more schools in rural areas, provide free textbooks to students, and provide school meals to students.
Inflexibility of the curriculum
As researchers in the field of special needs and inclusive education advocate the rights of children with special needs to education, the curriculum that should be adopted should be inclusive by specifying minimum requirements for all learners. The special educational, social, emotional, and physical needs of learners will be addressed if the curriculum developers consider children with disability during its design and development. Curriculum adaptations do not only benefit students with disabilities, but also facilitate successful learning for all learners in acquiring mastery of context. For many students with disabilities and for many without the key to success in the classroom lies in having appropriate adaptations, accommodations and modifications made to the instruction and other classroom activities.
However, research findings show that in some instances, curriculum is further found to be inflexible, especially with regard to the design and management of timetables. For instance, the timetables most often do not take care of Children with disability yet. In ideal situations, a child with special needs might need more time to accomplish the same assignment that can be done by a non- disabled person.
Children with disability could not receive quality education. This in turn indicates the extent to which our training institutions have deep-rooted problems . Teachers were not well trained in such way that they could teach those students who have a different ability and background. Being proficient in Braille and sign language were not sufficient and organized for in-service trainees. Even those teachers who have trained in special needs and inclusive education were not well equipped in skills of Braille and sign.
Quality training is one of basic ingredients for quality inclusive education. However, teachers’ training has basic problems in educating children according to their specific needs. Children with disability were not receiving quality education. For this, poor teachers’ training and shortage of trained teachers reciprocally have contributed to the delivery of poor quality education for Children with Disability. Though there were few teachers who have been graduated in special needs and inclusive education, the training in which they have passed did not enable them to be efficient in teaching.
Ignorance of stakeholders about children’s right to education
As it is believed, stakeholders of education are parents, children in schools, teachers, school principals and supervisors, experts, and officers in the education system. However, there is such discrepancy among stakeholders of education regarding the right of children with disability to education. Whereas, others stakeholders could not recognize the right of children to education fully. The inaccessibility of Education Bureau itself, insufficient budget allocation and unavailability sign language interpreters in schools could be evidence to the extent to which the education system was ignorant of the right of children with disability to education.
Quality of Education
Another major challenge facing the education system in Ethiopia is the quality of education. While the country has made significant progress in expanding access to education, the quality of education remains low, particularly in rural areas. Students in Ethiopia often struggle with basic literacy and numeracy skills, and the country’s education system has been criticized for being rote-based and lacking in creativity.
To address this challenge, the Ethiopian government has introduced policies aimed at improving the quality of education. For example, the government has introduced policies aimed at improving the training and professional development of teachers, promoting the use of technology in education, and improving the curriculum.
However, these efforts have faced challenges, including a lack of resources and infrastructure to support these initiatives.
Infrastructure Gap
The infrastructure gap is another significant challenge facing the education system in Ethiopia. More than 85% of Ethiopians live in rural areas where the infrastructure is not yet well constructed. As a result, houses are dispersed, schools are far-flung, and the topography is full of blockages. Pathways from home to schools are cliffy. With all these, children with motor and visual disabilities particularly have encountered difficulty primarily to go school to the worst to integrate themselves with non-disabled children in school activities.
Infrastructure together with pathways to classroom, offices, guidance, and counselors challenged students with disabilities not to come to school and not to have active participation in the learning process as well. Less restricted environment could enhance the realization of inclusion of Children with Disability. To the opposite of the above fact, however, most pathways are cliffy, ridge and sloppy. To jump such ways was a difficult task for students with physical and visual disabilities as most of the participants of FGD were of the same mind.
Many schools in Ethiopia lack basic infrastructure, such as classrooms, libraries, and toilets. This infrastructure gap can have a significant impact on the quality of education, with overcrowded classrooms and inadequate facilities hindering students’ ability to learn.
Personnel in the education system pointed out that buildings in most mainstream schools were not constructed with people with disabilities in mind. As it was clearly indicated in the findings, the poor infrastructure together with pathways to classroom, offices, guidance, and counselors, challenged students with disabilities not to come to school and not to have active participation in the learning process as well. Entirely, the primary schools had full of up and down topography, the inclusion of children with mobility impairment had been at its challenge. As a result, the observable fact was that provision of infrastructure seems challenging for the implementers.
To address this challenge, the Ethiopian government has introduced policies aimed at improving the infrastructure in schools. For example, the government has introduced programs to build more schools, renovate existing schools, and provide basic infrastructure, such as toilets and water supply, to schools. However, infrastructure development in Ethiopia faces challenges, including limited resources and inadequate funding for infrastructure development.
Shortage of teachers in special needs education
Teachers, who are trained in special needs, could facilitate the implementation of inclusion of children with disability. To do this, their number should be enough to provide professional support for general education teachers and students with disabilities themselves. However, to contrary, the country is not able to train special needs and inclusive education teachers adequately to meet the demand. Factors that hindered the implementation of inclusive education were the inadequacy of teachers who have trained in special needs and inclusive education. To ensure the realization of inclusion of children with disability, either the general education teachers should have training or special needs and inclusive education teachers should assist them in the classroom.
Ethiopians are agrarians; there is job allotment among householders. As a result, the one looks after the cattle, the other harvests, still the other collects firewood, even the other may fetch water. With all these, hunting schools that have special classes, taking and returning the child with disabilities to these schools subsequently, is a task that might have no owner . Therefore, the only harsh choice was to hide their child with disability at home.
In the towns, though there are abundant commercial schools, since hiring special needs and inclusive education teachers is costly, and not to enroll children with disability has legal impeachment, they enroll the children with disability and ‘dump’ them without any special support in their compounds. Significantly, the insufficient number of teachers of special needs and inclusive education has hampered the integration of children with disability in to the regular schools.
The shortage of trained and qualified teachers is another significant challenge facing the education system in Ethiopia. The country has a shortage of teachers, particularly in rural areas, where many teachers are untrained and lack the necessary qualifications to teach effectively.
To address this challenge, the Ethiopian government has introduced policies aimed at increasing the number of trained teachers in the country. For example, the government has introduced policies aimed at recruiting more teachers, providing training and professional development for teachers, and improving the salaries and working conditions of teachers.
Family income/poverty
Most Ethiopians are weak in their income to educate their children. According to previous research done as per the references, the economic factor could be another factor to educate their children and mostly children with disability in the regular school. Most parents of children in every family member in Ethiopian rural areas have economic engagement. For instance, some are shepherds, some others are farmers, still others collect firewood, and there are also others who accomplish home activities. However, when disability happens to one of those family members, he/she will be dependent on the rest to get daily food. With all this, taking that disabled child to school would be another burden to the family. Then, the choice of the family had to be either to sit the child at home or give for charity organization.
Since disability is a common and heart-breaking phenomenon, it further impoverishes families in need. As a result, not only lack of awareness and the negative attitude of the family, but living from hand-to-mouth caused the society as a whole to hinder children with disability from being included in regular school.
Curriculum Development
The curriculum is a crucial aspect of the education system and plays a significant role in shaping the learning outcomes of students. However, the Ethiopian curriculum has faced criticisms for being outdated, rigid, and lacking relevance to the needs of students and the country’s economy.
To address this challenge, based on the report from ENA, a state owned media, the council of ministers did see undesirable shortcomings of the ongoing system and believed that it did not encourage indigenous knowledge, did not encourage innovation and technology. Thus the Ethiopian government has introduced policies aimed at revising and updating the curriculum. On this not the prime minister of that time Hon. Abiy Ahmed’s cabinet believed that the new curriculum and training policy will bring about changes in terms of addressing the problems from the old system.
The government has introduced a new curriculum framework that emphasizes competency-based education, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. This new curriculum policy introduced a 6-2-4 system, six years in elementary education, two years of junior school education and four years of high school education.
The new curriculum framework also emphasizes the development of vocational and entrepreneurial skills, which are seen as critical to addressing the country’s unemployment challenges. However, the implementation of the new curriculum framework has faced challenges, including a lack of resources and infrastructure to support the new approach.
Lack of guideline to implement inclusive education
Beyond doubt, teachers and schools at grassroots level, and education heads at the top together require guidelines to let them see how to implement inclusive education. However, issuing the document was not a simple task for Ethiopian education system. One of inclusive policy documents is having prepared a guideline of inclusive education to implement it effectively. Subsequently, if no guideline which leads how to implement inclusive education, the process would be subjected to personal interpretation. The above evidence indicates the extent to which experts and school supervisors were not clear about guideline and strategic plan. The strategic plan may help the education system to check and balance the goal that they were supposed to achieve with the plan that they had already scheduled. If the country had guideline of inclusive education, it would help stakeholders of education to demystify the wrong perception that the stakeholders possessed and would give them clear direction about the implementation of inclusive education.
Ethiopia is one of the multi-ethnic nations in Africa. As a result, the country is exercising multilingual curriculum. No matter how the country has multi-ethnic groups, issuing guidelines of inclusive education would not be costly when it is compared with the benefits that it could bring quality, equity and social justice in our education system. More than its cost, lack of commitment among political leaders has also delayed the endorsement of inclusive guidelines. Although the country had designed strategic plan of special needs and inclusive education system in 2006 and 2012, this was meant for the purpose of country relief, unfortunately it did not work for all the regions.
Inadequate provision of adapted school materials
Despite measures to adopt an inclusive education policy for all groups, school directors were not willing to include children with disability in the regular schools with reason of shortage of adapted materials. From the previous studies done, it is not only lack of awareness that prevailed among school administration but also shortage of adapted teaching material for students with disabilities. Hence, education experts and school supervisors in common remarked poor provision of special needs equipment as a main challenge to implement inclusion.
Further, The Ministry of Education and Regional Education Bureaus did not develop a mechanism which could enable them to monitor the schools that have/have not registered a child with disability. At the same time, the bureaus have budget insufficiency. As a result, they could not facilitate even those few schools with slate and stylus, Braille, paper, Braille textbooks, hearing aids, sign language books, wheelchairs and other adapted and modified materials with explanation of budgetary problems. As a result, insufficient provision of adapted school materials has been identified as one of challenges of inclusion of children with disability in to the regular schools. Owing to this fact, students with visual impairment were obliged to learn with no Braille. School supervision reports also tell as the group was attending lessons by listening. Children with hearing impairment had also school attendance with their physical presence
Conclusion
In conclusion, Ethiopia faces significant challenges in its education system, including limited access to education, low quality of education, infrastructure gaps, teacher shortages, and outdated curriculum. While the government has introduced policies aimed at addressing these challenges, there is a need for more concerted efforts to improve the education system in the country. This could include increased investment in education, improved teacher training and support, better infrastructure development, and more relevant and up-to-date curriculum development.
As the reports of the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia, more people affected in the educational system of the country are children with disability who have no access to education yet. Even the majority of those children with disability, who had access to education, were in a fuzzy educational setting. With this, the mode of education to educate children with disability is not marked out clearly. As a result, the education system has faced challenges to achieve EFA. To ensure inclusion, therefore, identifying the barriers and suggest panacea has a paramount importance to reverse the situation. Theoretically, ecology of human development guided the study to investigate challenges that Ethiopia faced to implement inclusive education. By addressing these challenges, Ethiopia can work towards providing quality education to all its citizens and improving its socio-economic prospects.
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