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ADDIS ABABA — Only 5.4% of Ethiopia’s high school students passed this year’s university entrance exams, in what experts see as the latest sign the educational system is still reeling after bold reforms were implemented three years ago.
Last year, just 3.3% of applicants passed the all-important exam. The education ministry undertook the reforms in 2021 to improve the standards of education, teaching, and to root out exam cheating which was believed to be widespread.
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When the current education minister, Birhanu Nega, took charge of his portfolio three years ago, he announced that the government was committed to stopping exam malpractices from taking place online and vowed to stop corruption within the education system. He also set out to test teachers’ competence amid allegations of certificate fraud in academic qualifications among the tutors.
The following year, fears of not having enough students to start the academic year forced the government to lower its entrance grades to 30%. It also admitted more students.
“The result reflects the lack of proper preparation of students, training of teachers… with little psychosocial support and infrastructure to assist them,” said Tirussew Teferra, an education professor at Addis Ababa University. He told Semafor Africa the current system focuses “on exam results rather than fostering the necessary competencies at other levels.”
Step Back
Before the government commenced with the education reforms, the acceptance of students at the tertiary institutions was much higher. In 2021, the acceptance rate was capped at 55% followed by 48% in 2022 while the recurring conflicts in the Horn of African nation have also severely harmed its education sector.
UNICEF estimates that more than 8.3 million school-age children have not been enrolled in any learning institution. It estimates that more than 5,430 schools have closed and more than 9,000 schools were damaged due to the combination of climate shocks and conflict.
