CHAPTER ONE

1. 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 16th 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 the development 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 1st School in Addis Ababa. (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 at
primary, 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.

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 the needs of the country and expands the coverage of the activities

1
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 their lives and hence facilitate their participation in modern economies and
societies. It also important factor which affects the health and 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. This deterioration 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 and Development 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 vocational
educations. 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-government centers 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,

2
 1.2. Statement of the problems

The number of school going children is increasing from year to year. Here is a need to
provide the 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 be expressed 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 student’s 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 other specific 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 study

This 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
will serves 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 of
education 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 of educational 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.

3
 1.6. Limitation of the study

The one that most limiting factors for the study is that the data requirements are not fully
satisfied 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 of education, 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 like
internet world bank on the problem of education

CHAPTER TWO
2. LITERATURE REVIEWS
This chapter contains two parts. The first part discussed related
literatures which is
theoretical while the second part explains empirical literature.
2.1. Theoretical literature
2.1.1 Constraints on the Impact of Formal education
Some of the major factors influencing the provision of formal
education and limiting its effectiveness for poor and disadvantaged
people are:
1. Global economic relations: - these play a key role in determining the
effectiveness of formal education in achieving development for society
as a whole. Even where the state invests heavily in education and is
committed to social equality and development
2. Differentiated access and opportunities: - education promotes social
advancement, 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 discrimination
based on gender, class race or cultures. For example, in Costa Rica, the
national figures for adult illiteracy in 1984 were 7 percent, but in the
poorest rural areas was almost 20 percent. The discrimination suffered

4
by the people because of their cultures or limits their access to
education and their opportunities to use it effectively.
They have to choose between potential alienation from their own
culture, and the need to master language and cultural forms of the
dominant society in order to survive successfully within it.
These choices are experienced differently by women and men.
(Eade and William, 1995).

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

opportunities; girl’s often fore worse than boys’ interims of primary
school enrollment. There are considerable differences in the level of
the males and females education in most arts of the world. In the
Afghanistan, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Somalia, and Nepal, females’
illiteracy in 1990 was twice as high as the figures for males. In
Salvadoran rural women’s organization founded by Oxfam only one
percent of the members could read one percent of the members could
read and write. Bangladesh is an extreme example, where of the 60
percent of all children who enroll fewer than 10 percent are girls the
ratios are generally worse at secondary level and above. Fewer than
have as many girls as boys are enrolled in secondary school in Sub-
Saharan Africa 15 percent and 44 percent respectively. There are many
factors for unequal educational opportunities of girls and boys.
Mothers are likely to have received inadequate schooling themselves,
and their daughters generally bear the burden of domestic work and
childcare from an early age. The expectation of early marriage or (fact
of teenage pregnancy) is also used to justify cutting short girl’s
education. In self-fulfilling cycle, since greater employment
opportunities exists for men than women, boys’ education takes
priority over girls’ education because they are more
likely to be able to use it. Cultural factors can reinforce gender based
discrimination
women are often regarded as bearers of traditional culture,
particularly, culture identifies are threatened. In such circumstances,
they may be formal education (Eade and William, 1995)

4. Poverty:-the poorest people are hardest hit inflation,

unemployment, and cuts in
services. They cannot always afford to keep children at school,
particularly at the
secondary level. Costs of education including clothes, books,
equipment and
maintenance, and fees. The economic difficulties of poor families
increase the pressure on children to earn money either instead of or in

5
addition to going to school. A further formal education is irrelevant to
their economic and cultural need which in often born out by a chronic
lack of employment opportunities which make use of skills gained at
school. In addition, poor children live in environment where study is
difficult and where poor health, over work, and malnutrition may leave
them without energy and concentration to learn (Eade and William,
1995).

2.1.2. The gender gap in education.

Low adult literacy rates prevail throughout the developing world. In
fourteen developing countries where literacy date are available, only
one in five adult women can read, where as the literacy rates for men
ate as low in only five of these countries. Recent estimates suggest
that only one out of two women in Asia is literate and only out of three
in sub- Saharan Africa (UNESCO, 1992).
School enrollment rates have been raising for both girls and boys at all
levels in the past two decades. Primary school enrolment, in particular,
has out paced the growth of youth population, although a few low
income countries especially, in sub-Saharan Africa experienced decline
in primary enrollments in the 1980’s. (UNESCO, 1992).
Many countries have no universal primary education for males and
females. But girls
enrollments continuous to lag behind in many others, most
dramatically in south Asian, west Asia, north Africa, and sub-Saharan
Africa. With exception of Sri Lanka, all south Asian nations have much
lower gross enrollment ratios (GER) for girls than for boys. In Bhutan,
girls’ enrollment in 1983 was 19 percent compared to 34 percent for
boys; in Nepal, 49 percent for girls’ and compared with 110 percent for
boys’, in Pakistan, 38 percent versus 73 percent; in Bangladesh, 50
percent versus 110 percent. Where as in Latin America and nearly all
east Asia countries such large male-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 has expanded greatly in the past twenty five years, leading to
accommodating the increase in primary school enrollment over that
period. Moreover, there are few restrictions to the admission of girls at
the primary school level. To understand why, despite this expansion, a
large proportion of school or dropout early in many developing
countries, one need to consider the many factors affect the education
of girls and boys differently. For many families the differed possible
benefits do not seem large enough to offset immediate costs like
school fees or the loss of child labor parents do not often consider the
less obvious benefits that education generates (like improved

6
productivity ) when deciding whether to send children to school or to
favor sons, partly because they are the ones expected to go out and
earn more family income, so this may be the cost of efficient response
by parents to constraints of family resources. One less or from
experience is that expanding access simply by building more schools,
relating admission policies or instituting quotas for girls may lead to
higher levels of female enrollment at margin.
Distortion with labor market due to discriminating employment
practice against women reduce, their attempt earning and benefits
that women can expect to gain from education even when jobs are
available. Example, restriction against the living of married in wage
paying-jobs in manufacturing or service sectors. Explicit or implicit
entry barriers against women in certain occupations serve as obstacles
to education. Some of these barriers begin at the primary school level,
with teachers and text book projecting attitudes that discourage
school attendance and performance of girls. Stereotype may persist of
girls not being as good as boy in technical subjects or mathematics.
Even obstacles which begin at the post primary level can nevertheless
inhibit girls’ school attendance and motivation at the primary stage.
In Dominica Republic, three of the most important schools for
middle level technology training bar women even though they have
stipends from the national governments. In Pakistan, women are also
allowed to enroll in seventy-two of the secondary school, vocational
institution because of strict sex segregation. (UNESCO, 1992).
In some societies, customs dictates that son take possibility for
their parents, whilst girls marry out of their families at the early age
and into their husband’s families. The earlier marriage age, the fewer
parents enjoy the benefits of their daughter’s education. In
Bangladesh, 75 percent married women living in rural areas were
married by the age of seventeen. In India, 75 percent of this group
were married by the age twenty-two some evidences suggests that
when girls do not marry so early, but spend some of their time working
in the labor force, parents are more willing to educate their daughters.
In Hong Kong women who tend to marry at a later ages and help their
parents in the interims appear to reach higher educational levels than
others. In parts of southern India, because the more educated women
are recognized as having a higher potential for earning, some grooms
parents are willing to accept pre-payment of dormitories in the form of
higher level schooling of the perspective daughters in law.
(UNESCO,1993).
Parents also may have poor knowledge of the benefits of education
to the family’s current health and welfare and prosperity of their
grand children. They may not be aware that the benefit of education
are inter generational and accumulates over time. Or of families may
not be appreciating the benefits of girls’ education in countries where

7
the “Suitable” of educated women to be good wives in held in doubt. A
balance must be starve between providing courses that help women.
Fulfill traditional roles, but at the same time not allowing curricula to
lock women out of wider educational opportunities. Education itself,
along with economic change, can and should be powerful force in
modifying traditional view points on girls’ schooling. (UNESCO, 1992).
Even if they are aware of potential long-range benefits of
education, parents may be unable to afford the tuition, materials,
transportation, boarding fees and others. Costs of sending girls to
school. Location, distance and even clothing requirements can make
the effective cost of school attendance higher for girls. Gender
differences enter in when, for instance, parents are more reluctant to
send girls to school without proper clothing of young daughters’ in
some cultures deters them from allowing girls’ to attend distant
schools requiring long travel daily or residence away from home.
(UNESCO, 1992)
In countries where religion requires seclusion of women parents
allow girls’ to attend only single sex schools with female teachers, or
they withdraw girls at the onset of puberty. Thus, the availability of
schools with female teachers may be of decisive importance, in low-
income countries. Only one third of primary, less than one fourth of
secondary, and just over one tenth of tertiary education teachers are
women. The shortage largely reflects the limited pool of potential
women teachers, as a result of low schooling levels of girls, and the
reluctance of young women teachers to work in rural areas. This
reason is because cultural attitudes discourage young, single women
from moving far from home and living alone. The shortage supply of
safe dormitories for women even in technical training institute
exacerbates the situation. Also women from rural areas usually do not
qualify to enroll in teacher training schools in the cities, and there are
few programmes in rural areas to identify, recruit and train girls to
become teachers. Finally, parents may not feel able to afford to send
girls to school if it means their labor cannot be used in traditional
ways.
Although in some countries boys perform a large share of family labor
such as livestock herding, with few exception girls do more work than
boys in the home and in the market place. In Nepal and Java
(Indonesia) most young girls’ spend at least a third more hours per day
working at home and in the market than boys of the same age groups
as much as 85 percent more hours. 129-150 percent more hours than
boys. Clearly, girls who work more than their brothers will less likely to
attend school, perform less well. In addition to lost labor, parents in
many countries feel that girls will lose important training at home in
childcare, household and crafts if they go to school. (UNESCO, 1992)

8
2.1.3 Gender literacy and cultural difference
Gender literacy and cultural difference one area of apparent
controllers concerns the
extent to which the obstacles to girls and women’s education are
similar across cultures. One view is that in all cultures, although in
varying degree, male/female relationship place obstacles in the way of
girls’ and women’s full participation in education. Patriarchy is
manifested in two ways: the sexual division of labor, and control over
women’s sexuality. Both these factors so condition a women’s world-
view that marriage, husband, and family become the be-all and-all for
the existence. They also limit women’s mental horizons and push
education from her attention. As girl’s grow up, socialized into their
future roles as sexual division of labor the second components, control
over women’s sexuality, ensures that women maintain their roles as
wives and mothers and is the cause of women’s inability to control
their fertility and its associated consequences, including unwanted
pregnancies, the practice of early marriage, restricted physical
mobility for women, and domestic violence. (UNESCO, 1992),
Who benefits from all this? Whose interests are served as by these
existing conditions? In feminist theory, it is undoubtedly men who
benefit. Does this mean that feminists are setting women against men
and women and men against women? The answer is no most feminists
seem to be seeking a more egalitarian society in which women are
treated as equals with men “According to feminist theory, the problem
of women’s illiteracy will not be solved merely underlying problem is
not technical. For change to occur, individual men in a male-dominated
state will have to re-examine and modify their own values and
attitudes.
An alternative view is that cultural difference between countries is
more important than some feminist would accept. For example,
successful literacy ventures in Pakistan are often community based;
the important thing is to change total attitudes. In Feriur-ban Karachi
this has been done.
Successfully using flexible working hours both formal and non-formal
teaching methods, and education both parents and children, adults are
motivated to learn via primary economic interests (functional literacy)
who has become the subject of the basic education curriculum.
Residential facilities for teachers based in community have led to
greater school community interaction and help facilitates more
opportunities for girls and for more women. The whole programme has
helped produce a positive, confident self concept of women. However,

9
cultural constraints are undeniably powerful. For, example, the word
“child”, which is gender is neutral in English language, has masculine
connection in south Asia. Here the stark reality is that, by and large,
girls are denied that joyful care free period of growing and learning
that is called child hood. Very little value
is attached to girls she is caught in a men of cultural practices and
social prejudices from the moment of her birth. Although she works
twice as hard as her brother, and her labor contributes to the survival
of the family, neglect and malnutrition, treated as lesser human being
and brought up to believe that she does not count. Therefore, in any
society that aims to social justice in any policy that seeks to move
towards quality of educational opportunity, attention has to be
focused is contrary to entrenched cultural values. Changes in
education that do not enhance the states of women are not likely
either to be generally accepted or to reduce women’s present state of
under development.

2.1.4. Problems that female student face in Addis Ababa

high schools
Another researcher (Emebet, 2003) classified problems of girl’s
education under
subheadings of economic constraints, family related barriers and
cultural barriers
economic constraints.
The impact of poverty on women’s education can be studied at two
levels:
Country level and family level. Although the degree of poverty in
country affects the
education and in general the life of its citizens, the effect can be
moderated by the socioeconomic status 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
of women since the 1960’s (Emebet, 2003). However, poverty is still
slowing the progress. Discussing African, the pointed out that among
thirty poorest countries in the world, twenty are found in Africa. Under
these circumstances, the major concern is the provision of education
for children in general; it is difficult to give special attention to girl’s,
she further pointed out that although many developing countries put
sign out amounts of money and energy into education, several of them

10
were not able to provide it for all school age children. (Emebet, 2003
p.34),
Enrollment of girls in school does not guarantee success and
completion in these poor countries. Strongest (1990) noted that in all
developing countries were the United Nations under took studies,
during recession years; girl’s often experienced a change in parental
plans for enrollment. In such years parents choose retain daughters at
home assist with work and income generating activities, which would
result in lower female attainment. (Emebet, 2000).
Because of this fiscal strait, the inequality of males and females in the
area of education is quite staggering. Hyde (1993:101) pointed out
that in Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the most enduring kinds of
educational inequality are one observed between males and females.
This inequality is reflected in lower levels of attainment and higher
dropout and repetition rates for girls. It is also apparent in different
curriculum choices offered to or made by men and women at the
secondary and tertiary levels; most notably in the low enrollment
figures for women’s in scientific and technical fields (Emebet, 2003
p.34).
The above situation is clearly observed in the Ethiopia case. In urban
areas we find female enrolled in high schools in great number; 50.6
percent of the students in Addis Ababa in the academic year 1998/99
were women as sited in (Emebet, 2003 p.34).
However, this high rate of enrollment is accompanied by a staggering
rate of repetition. In the same academic year 61.4 percent of the
repeaters were females (MOE, 2000 p.62).
Among the students who are enrolled in the various higher education
institutions for undergraduate degree programme, only11.6 percent
were females. The percentage of female students in science fields is
more discouraging (Science 9.7 percent, Medicine 11.7 percent,
Technology 12.9 percent, and Agriculture 4.7 percent)) Emebet, 2003,
p.34/5). One of reflection of poverty in developing countries is the
uneven distribution of schools across the regions. This related to
school distance. In most of the larger cities, we find a good
concentration of schools of all levels, including colleges, through some
students in rural areas have to travel for hours to find a single high
school distance is identified to be an important factor affecting girls
education in many developing countries. Sronguest (1989) indicated
that this holds true for rural as well as urban areas where
transportation costs may be high. In many rural areas of Ethiopia, as
the girls pass to high school they are require to go towns to learn. This
situation pushes many parents to take their daughters out of school.
(Emebet, 2003 p.34).

11
 Several studies indicated that the socio-economic states of the family
are highly correlated with the enrollment and persistence of
daughters. Hyde (1993) explained that girls who come from
economically advantaged families are much more likely entered and
remained in secondary schools than are girls from disadvantaged
families. A similar situation is observed in Ethiopia. In a study of
female student in higher educational institution, it was found that
among the 118 schools attended by the respondents, only 13 were
private or catholic schools and almost all these schools were located in
the capital or cities. Thirty-five percent of the female students who
entered colleges came from these 13 schools. In some cases, family
socio-economic status (SES) plays more important role than parental
education in getting children in to private schools is often considered a
status symbol. (Emebet, 2003 p.35).

2.1.4.1. Poverty
At the both country and family level, is a detriment to the education of women although it
interferes with the education of all children, its correlation is much stronger for female.
Stronguest (1998:150) explained that the higher the income of the family, the greater the desire
of parents for their daughters’ education (Emebet, 2003 p.36).

2.1.4.2 Family related barriers

Family plays a very important role indenturing the degree of access girls have to education
and their level of achievement. There are several family related factors, which including
location of upgrading, parental schooling, and family income (Emebet, 2003 p.36).
Geographical location, urban or rural, can significantly affect the education of children.
According to several studies carried out in developing countries, growing up in rural
communities worsen school opportunities for females more than for males. In the study carried
out in Ethiopia, Abrah, etal (1991) found that urban girls enrolled in school are more likely to
persist than rural ones. The study findings remained consistent, both when girls were studied
alone, and when they were compared to boys. The urban-rural distinction also influences to
greater extent the academic performance of female students. Abraham, etal (1991) stated that
in Ethiopia, girls enrolled in schools found in urban areas had better performance on the
national exam than the girls who attend schools located in rural areas (Emebet, 2003 p.35).
Though, in general, girls in the cities have a better prospect of accessing and succeeding in
their education, and also studying the field/subjects they want, they have their-share of
barriers to over come. In Genet’s (1994) study, was indicated some of the problems of girls in
Addis Ababa high schools encounter were lack of study time to heavy load of house hold
chores, dropping out because of failure to pass exams and pregnancy, and teachers’ biased
attitudes. (Emebet, 2003 p.36)

2.1.4.3 Cultural barriers

Culture influences the education of women in various ways. One is the cultural division of
labor, Zewdie and Jungles (1990) study of four peasants associations in Ethiopia indicated that

12
women spend about 15 or more hours on various chores important for the household. Under
this circumstance, it is the girls who share the burden of their mothers by spending time on the
chores instead of their studies. Though on time use study has been carried out in the cities,
Genet (1994) pointed out that parent, and females’ students themselves and their teachers
indicated that the female students spend much time on the household chores (Emebet, 2003
p.36).
Early marriage parents are other cultural impediments to girls’ education. Studies in many
developing countries indicated that the number of girls attending school abruptly drops when
the reach the age of 15 to 19. One major reason for the phenomena is early marriage. In most
developing countries, early marriage and education are anti theatrical. Bach, etal (1985)
reported that more education women attained, the older their age at marriage.
The issue of women’s education in developing countries is very complex. It is affected by
several factors among which are economic, political, and social. Other factors, related to
culture or religion. The effect of these factors usually differs from place to place, and one factor
can be influenced by any of the others. Studies indicate, however, that they operate in most
developing countries and negatively affect women’s education, (Emebet, 2003 p.36).

2.1.5. Major Quality Indicator

2.1.5.1 Class size student/section ratio
Class size is a subject of considerable debate among educators, psychologists and
philosophers. The issue at stake is whether or not class size is not quality determination.
Theoretically, an optimal class size is a size that allow for sufficient interaction between
teachers and student through question/answer session, group activities and student
assignment. Nardos (1998) states that class size should allow the teacher to observe
pedagogical principles such as knowing ones students by name and attending to the particular
needs of each student (Befekadu, Berhanu and Getahun, 2000/2001).
Broadly speaking, there are two schools of thought regarding the effect of class size on
quality of education. The traditionalists argue that if the size is too large, the teacher could not
perform any of these activities effective or could not perform them at all. Therefore, the
quality of education will be low. However, the latest thinking is that is not absolutely
necessarily for teacher to lead all teaching and learning activities. Innovative techniques could
be introduced to help students take a charge of the learning process. Examples of innovative
techniques are peer evaluation, group work and computer assisted instruction. These
techniques reduce teacher burden and result in considerable financial saving for the institution
and quality of education will not fall. Notice that according to this view, the negative effects of
large class size can be partially compensated using these new techniques. In the absence of this
technique, however, quality will suffer from large class size. (Befekadu, Berhanu and Getahun
2000/2001)
In developed countries like UK 25-30 students per class is considered a reasonable size for
an effective teaching learning process. But such small sizes have considerable implications,
more teachers and more class rooms. In developing countries such as Ethiopia cannot afford
such class sizes. Thus, a higher size is to be expected, the issue, however, is how high can they
go without seriously affecting the quality of education?
According to some educations in Ethiopia high schools. Particularly, in grade nine, the
number of student in each class room has passed the 100 mark in some urban schools. In the

13
upper grades 65 students per section is regarded as a good number because it is the lowest
number we can find in some schools. Even with this number for instance, it is not possible to
take students to the laboratory to do experiments, practical learning in which students actively
participate cannot be conducted as sited in (Befekadu, Berhanu and Getahun, 2000/2001).
Class size in Addis Ababa University has also increased significantly in recent years. In the
economic department of AAU, which we are the most familiar with, for example, the number
of 2nd and 3rd year students (where there is one section per year) has increased from 43 students
per sections in the early 90’s to over hundred since the mid 90’s without any increase in the
teachers or instructional materials such as large class size inhibits teachers from giving written
assignments because it could take along time to grade. Because of that, students at many
faculties of AAU are evaluated by one in a semester, usually objective type questions for their
final exam which surely is inadequate to evaluate form AAU without writing a paper save for
the revered senior thesis. That is partly many educators and businessmen complain about the
low level of language proficiency (both oral and written) among University graduates.
This observation indicates that there is a clear relationship between class size and quality of
education in Ethiopia knowledge learn in classroom. It should be noted that class size is only
one variable that contributes to quality of education. (Befekadu, Berhanu and Getahun 200).

2.1.5.2 Student/teacher ratio (STR)

Where as class size refers to overage number of students in a given lesson, students’
teacher ratio is a measure of over all burdens on teachers. In other words, it measures the
utilization of teacher forces. In the new Education and training policy, the recommended
student/teacher ratio for senior high school is 40. The Ministry of Education data schools that
student/teacher ratio has been increasing over the last five years. In 1995/96 the national
average was 33 students per teachers. By 1999/2000 this has risen to 43. According to
Getachew and Luisberg (1996), twenty-five years ago, the national average was 30 students per
teacher. This indicates that the utilization of the secondary school teacher force has been
increasing but only slightly. (Melese 2006 p.20).
Like all indicators of quality regional variations are evident in student/teacher ratio. In
1999/2000 academic year, the three highest student/teachers ratios were observed in Tigray(61)
Addis Ababa(50) and Amhara(49). Data supplied by Addis Ababa Administration Education
Bureau. Indicate that the average student/teacher ratio for 50 for 2000 academic year. There is
some region with students/ teacher ratios for below the national average. For example, Afar
(23), Somali (19).
2.1.5.3 Number of qualified Teachers

14