Education and Training in Ethiopia An Evaluation of Approaching EFA Goals

Review Mission Report, 2003). However, female student dropout rates are higher thanmale rates. Several issues have to be taken into attention to increase gender parity andequality in education. Female teachers may affect the parity and equality of education forfemale students. However, as shown in table 2 (p. 34), the increase of female teachers hasbeen fairly slow. The figures from the early 2000s do not indicate a growing tendency inthe proportion of female teachers. In school year 2000-2001, the ratio of female primaryschoolteachers was 30.3 per cent and in 2002-2003 nearly the same, 30.6 per cent.Female teachers are needed as role models in education. Educational reports havestressed that female role models may attract girls to school (Lexow, 2003). Female rolemodels provide girls with professional aspirations (EFA, 2003/4). Girls in Ethiopiathemselves have indicated the importance of female role models (Joint Review MissionReport, 2003). It is unclear whether having female teachers raises the achievement of girls;however, research suggests that male teachers appear to positively affect boys’ educationalachievement (EFA, 2003/4). As shown in Table 2, female teachers form slightly less thanone third of the teacher cadre even in primary education. The proportion of femaleteachers is particularly low in TVET. The proportion of female students in teacher trainingcolleges has increased since the introduction of the ESDP. Besides sustaining “affirmativeaction” to enrol female students to teacher preparing institutions, it is important to provideprofessional support and to improve work condition and safety to increase the numbers offemale teachers (Lexow, 2003).5.5.3. Quality and EfficiencyIn second cycle primary education and secondary education the current situation is farfrom the target of having the great majority of teachers qualified. The student teacherratios are increasing as primary education enrolment rates continue to rise. The shortageof teachers is likely to grow with HIV/AIDS taking its toll among teachers. There isalso a shortage of teachers in rural and remote areas, and quality varies betweenthe regions. Moreover, as can be seen from Appendix V, Ethiopian schools operatewith very modest facilities. There are a number of schools that are failing torespond to educational needs especially in regard of increasing girls’ access toprimary education and supporting women’s desire to become teachers. Most of theschools lack even plain basic facilities such as lavatories, not to speak aboutproviding counselling and clinics.Due to the shortage of schools and limited financial and human resources, theobjectives defined in the ESDP concerning the qualitative development of primary andvocational education have not been achieved. For example, girls have too few femaleteachers to serve as role models. Only three out of ten primary-school teachers and hardlyone out of ten vocational teachers are women (Ministry of Education, 2001b).Attention should be paid to enhancing the attractiveness of education by increasingmaterial and qualitative resources and by preventing the attrition of teachers. The aim ofassessment seems to be classifying students and weeding out the poorest performersamong them rather than supporting and promoting student learning.52