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ADDIS ABABA — Only 5.4% of high school students in Ethiopia passed university entrance exams this yearExperts say this is yet another sign that the education system is still reeling from major reforms implemented three years ago.
Last year, only 3.3% of applicants passed the most important exam of all. The Ministry of Education introduced reforms in 2021 to improve teaching and education standards and to stamp out exam fraud, which was believed to be widespread.
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When the current Minister of Education, Birhanu Nega, took over his portfolio three years ago, he announced that the government was committed to stopping online examination fraud and promised to stop corruption in the education system. He also went on to test the competence of teachers amid allegations of certificate fraud in academic qualifications among teachers.
The following year, fear of not having enough students to start the academic year forced the government to lower the admission rate to 30% and admit more students.
“The result reflects the lack of proper preparation of students, training of teachers… with little psychosocial support and infrastructure to help them,” said Tirussew Teferra, an education professor at Addis Ababa University. He told Semafor Africa that the current system focuses on “exam results instead of promoting the necessary competencies at other levels.”
Step back
Before the government began the education reforms, the acceptance rate of students to 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 Africa have also severely damaged the education sector.
UNICEF estimates that more than 8.3 million school-going children are not enrolled in an educational institution. It is estimated that more than 5,430 schools have been closed and more than 9,000 schools have been damaged by the combination of climate shocks and conflict.
