Review of some recent literature: Identifying Factors that Affect Ethiopia’s Education Crisis

Abstract

Education has been established as the leading power to promote the well being of
society by promoting economic growth, creating wealth and development. Ethiopia
started introducing modern education in the 1940s. It has remained essential for the
country to come out of poverty. And the challenge has been to create educated human
capital and skills through developing an education system built and legitimized by the
active participation of all the stakeholders who agree to resource and support education
development. Several studies (Pankhurst, R. 1972, 1999; Teshome Wagaw, 1979, 1999,
2001; Tekeste Negash, 1990, 2006; UNESCO, 2004; Word Bank, 2005; Damtew Teferra
& Altbach, 2004; Messay Kebede, 2006; Damtew Teferra, 2005, 2007; Forum for Social
Studies, 2009) have shown that Ethiopia’s educational expansion is plagued by the
prevalence of poor quality across the education sectors from primary to higher education.
This paper reviews existing literature on education in Ethiopia focusing on factors that
have hindered establishing a self-sustaining and strong Ethiopia’s educational system
with a view to discovering possible alternatives that can help establish an educational
governance system.